THE Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has confirmed the death of its former Comptroller General, David Parradang.
Speaking with The ICIR, on Tuesday, March 4, the NIS spokesperson Akinsola Akinlabi, stated, “It’s true that he’s late. We will release a statement soon.”
However, no details have been provided regarding the circumstances of his death.
When asked whether Parradang was killed, the spokesperson said the Service did not have such information, adding that the police would be in a better position to confirm that.
Meanwhile, reports from Zagazola Makama, a counterinsurgency publication, claimed that Parradang was abducted by gunmen in Area 1, Abuja, after being trailed from a bank where he had withdrawn money.
The report alleged that he was killed after his abductors took the cash from him.
However, when The ICIR reached out to the spokesperson of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, Josephine Adeh, for confirmation, she dismissed the claim as ‘misinformation.’
Parradang served in the NIS for over 30 years, holding various positions across the country before becoming Comptroller-General.
He was appointed as the 13th CG on June 10, 2013.
Parradang was suspended in 2015 over allegations related to the recruitment exercise into the Service.
The exercise had been approved by former President Goodluck Jonathan as part of efforts to address the failed 2014 aptitude test, which resulted in loss of several lives.
Following his suspension, former President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Martin Abeshi as CG, and shortly after, Muhammad Babandede, resulting in Nigeria having two substantive CGs for Immigration within six months.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M