EIGHT officials of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) have been dismissed for engaging in various forms of corrupt practices.
Eighteen other official of the NIS were equally sanctioned for unethical conduct.
The development is coming roughly two months after an ICIR investigation which revealed how Nigerians suffer frustration and extortion due to widespread corruption in the Immigration Service.
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The report exposed the high level of racketeering, touting and other unprofessional conducts by personnel of the NIS.
Announcing the sack of the eight officers, Comptroller General of Immigration Isah Idris said their dismissal was approved by the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB).
He said the disciplinary action was necessary following gross unbecoming and unacceptable acts by some members of the service.
“After exhaustive deliberations by the committees, eight personnel comprising one chief superintendent of immigration (CSI), two deputy superintendents of immigration (DSI), two assistant superintendents of immigration II (ASI2) and three rank and file were summarily dismissed from the service,” a statement released by the NIS on Friday said.
“Furthermore, one other chief superintendent of immigration was ordered to proceed on compulsory retirement while nine other personnel were demoted in rank.
“They include one assistant superintendent of immigration II (ASI2) who has been demoted to the rank of inspector of immigration, two inspectors who have been reduced in rank to assistant inspectors and six other junior personnel who have been ordered to lose their current ranks.
“Meanwhile, nine other personnel comprising one assistant superintendent of immigration II (ASI2) and eight junior personnel were issued warning letters just as six personnel were discharged and acquitted from all the allegations brought against them,” the statement added.
The agency also approved the redeployment of 100 officers from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) with immediate effect while some others have been ordered to face disciplinary procedures to ascertain their level of involvement in some unprofessional conducts reported at the airport recently.
The comptroller general assured that the NIS has zero tolerance for any form of unprofessional conduct by personnel and urged the public to report Immigration officials who engage in unethical practices.
Nurudeen Akewushola is an investigative reporter and fact-checker with The ICIR. He believes courageous in-depth investigative reporting is the key to social justice, accountability and good governance in society. You can reach him via [email protected] and @NurudeenAkewus1 on Twitter.