The Nigeria Immigration Service, has released a Germany-based Nigerian, Ahmed Ibrahim, who was detained at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos State, for being a suspected terrorist.
Ibrahim’s passport with number A03211082, is however still in NIS custody.
The Immigration Service Public Relations Officer, Emeka Obua, who confirmed this in Abuja on Tuesday, explained that Ibrahim, a chef based in Germany, was released on the directives of the National Security Adviser, after investigations showed that it was a case of mistaken identity.
He explained that Ibrahim was mistaken for a terror suspect on the NIS watch-list with the same name as the chef, adding that he was released within 24 hours because the service was mindful of his rights.
Obua said, “His identity tallied with that of a terror suspect and based on this, the Immigration officers at the Murtala Mohammed Airport alerted the service headquarters and he was detained and asked to be brought to Abuja, but after checking his biometrics, and investigations in collaboration with other security agencies, we found that he is not the one in the watch -list and he was released with apologies.”
Obua stated that Ibrahim’s purpose for visiting Nigeria, was to celebrate Sallah with his family members.
He denied reports that Ibrahim was manhandled by immigration personnel, adding that though the chef “made a lot of noise when he was stopped by personnel from boarding his flight, but all that is normal and nobody rough-handled.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, has ordered the Nigeria Immigration Service to deliver travel passports to Nigerians within 24 hours in compliance with President Goodluck Jonathan’s charge.
Speaking during the 2014 Comptroller-General Annual Conference in Abuja, the minister stated that anything contrary to his order is unacceptable.
He said, “The service must recommit to seamless service delivery at home and in the Diaspora. Particularly, we must comply with Mr. President charge that travel documents must be delivered to Nigerians within 24 hours, anything to the contrary is unacceptable.
“Business as usual will no longer be tolerated, while corruption and extortion will be appropriately sanctioned.”
He expressed the hope that the agency would evolve new strategies and render selfless and patriotic service, while shunning corruption and extortion.
Moro stated that the new 64-page e-passport would ease travel plans of Nigerians and save them the burden of carrying multiple passports and inject integrity into the nation’s passport with its enhanced security features.
The minister noted that through enhanced border patrols, and collaboration with Port Health Officials, the spread of the Ebola virus disease had been contained.
