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NIS Recovers Over 500 National ID Cards, PVCs From Foreigners
NIS has recovered over 500 national ID cards and PVCs from foreigners.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has retrieved 513 National Identity cards and Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) from foreigners in Katsina State.
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According to NAN, NIS controller in the state, Kelechi Ekeoba-Jones, made the disclosure on Monday during a media briefing at the newly established Jibia border command.
The NIS boss said the special border command in Jibia recovered 202 PVCs and 311 national identity cards from non-Nigerians in the state.
He, therefore, called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to seek the help of immigration officials in identifying foreigners.
Ekeoba-Jones noted that such a move would prevent registering non-citizens to vote.
“Some foreign nationals were found in possession of the Federal Republic of Nigeria voter cards and national identity cards issued to them in various states of the country,” he was quoted as saying.
“A total of 513 voter and national identity cards were retrieved from them in various formations of the command.
“Therefore, we are soliciting the support of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to engage us whenever a voter registration exercise is going to be conducted again.
“Only the immigration officials can identify foreigners through our techniques whenever they come to register at any registration centre across the country.
“We are calling on INEC, at any point of registration, they should solicit the help of our people to avoid registering foreigners.
“So also, the body responsible for the national identity card registration, it should engage more of our officers whenever the exercise will commence because it’s very important.”
This recovery of voter cards is not the first-of-its-kind in Nigeria.
Earlier in November 2022, NIS deported 18 foreigners arrested over alleged possession of permanent voter cards (PVCs) in Oyo.
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In December 2018, the service revealed that it had retrieved over 700 PVCs from foreigners living in the country.
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