The Bayelsa State command of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, on Friday said it has commenced a probe of the status of two Korean expatriates alleged to have violated the country’s laws.
The accused Korean expatriates are believed to work for an oil service and Daewoo, a South Korean firm.
The state comptroller of the NIS, Sule Wunti, said that NIS have no confirmations yet that the expatriates had violated the country’s labour laws but confirmed receiving a petition against them.
“We have started investigation on the matter after receiving a written complains on the status of the two Korean expatriates in a letter to Nigeria Content Monitoring and Development Board and copied to us,” he said.
Wunti also explained that the two expatriates had been invited for for questioning and that they would report to the command again on Tuesday, next week.
Basil Kenbo, the senior special assistant on Oil and Gas to Governor Seriake Dickson, who wrote the petition, had alleged that expatriates working with Daewoo Nigeria Limited had irregular work permit.
In a letter dated November 6 written to the NCDMB and copied to the NIS, the governor’s aide named the expatriates as I. S. Seo and Park Seo-Young.
He advised the NIS to ensure a through investigation into their true immigration status, while decrying some of the activities of the expatriates during their stay in Nigeria.
Kenbo alleged that Seo instigated the communal crisis in Obunagha, the host community of the LNG projects in Yenagoa, adding that he “has been operating with false documentation contrary to the terms of entry into Nigeria”.
“It is a fact that Seo was granted entry into Nigeria by the Nigeria Immigration Service NIS, over 20 years ago as a technician; but quite amazingly took appointments as administrative manager and community affairs manager, respectively in the company at different times in the last 20 years.”
The governor’s aide said further that as the community affairs manager Seo deliberately refused to comply with and implement Freedom to Operate, FTO, agreements, “thus escalating crisis between youths, communities and company.”