FG Places 3,964 Nigerians On Watch List for Immediate Arrest, Suspends Passports

The federal government has placed 3,964 Nigerians on the watchlist of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

The Federal Government, through the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), has placed no fewer than 3,964 Nigerians on its watchlist for immediate arrest.

According to Punch, the NIS has forwarded the names of the affected individuals to security agencies at the international airports where they will be arrested on sight.

The 2020 NIS annual report suspect index indicates that 308 persons were placed on the watch list in 2019, 166 in 2020, while 51 persons were stop-listed in two years.

The report added that no fewer than 3,438 passports are also being watch, while 23 are on the exemption list.

“Suspect index reviews and maintains the list of persons whose entry into Nigeria is prohibited or on whom special instructions are in place with respect to entry and departure from Nigeria,” the report reads.

“The travel documents are the instruments used to achieve this objective through synergy with other law enforcement agencies and court of competent jurisdiction.”

Meanwhile, the NIS has revoked 149, 875 stolen or lost passports and uploaded them to Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database via the Web Services for Data Management platform.

KanyiDaily had also reported that Nigerians “can now travel to as many as 160 countries across the world without Visa requirements.”