Protesters storm immigration headquarters asking Comptroller-General to resign

Protests rocked the headquarters of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Friday against the continuous stay in office of the Comptroller-General (CG) of the Service, Isa Idris Jere.

They carried placards and banners with various inscriptions and condemned the sit-tight posture of the Comptroller-General.

They alleged that his posture amounted to corruption and illegality, having had his tenure extended for him once by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Some of the inscriptions on the placards read: ‘Enough is enough,’ ‘Corruption has no place in NIS,’ ‘Tenure elongation is Corruption,’ ‘Tenure extension breeds insecurity.’

Acting under the auspices of the Centre for Public Accountability and Immigration Stakeholders, the Executive Director of the group, Olufemi Lawson, said the protests would continue for the next three days until the CG stepped down.

He said President Buhari was not known to condone acts of corruption and illegality, stressing that attempts by the Comptroller-General to stay beyond 24 of April 2023 in the office pointed to illegality and corruption.

Lawson said his group would mobilise other stakeholders and youths against the scheming and shenanigans of the CG to stay beyond the approved date in office as the protests would hold for three days in the headquarters, the Ministry, and the Villa.

Lawson made references to the letter signed by the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board, asking the CG to handover to the Deputy Comptroller-General before or on 24 April 2023.

He said the letter dated 17th April 2023 was signed by the Acting Secretary of the Board, Obasi Edozie Edmund, with notification of the expiration of the one-year extension of tenure which ended on April 24, 2023.

However, when contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Service, Tony Akuneme, confirmed he was aware that the tenure of his boss would end in April, but cannot provide updates on the current situation as he is on vacation right now in Canada.

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