Dikko |
Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS) operating at the Murtala Muhammed
International Airport, Lagos (MMIA) has been accused of forcefully
collecting $1,000 (N160, 000) from foreigners, especially Chinese and
Indians whose Nigerian visa expired as at the time they were leaving the
country.
Also, the Nigeria Customs Services has been alleged to be collecting
money from Nigerian traders who bring in goods from ECOWAS countries.
They are made to pay N10, 000 for every luggage they have, including
hand luggage.
An inside source told Journalists that since more than two months ago
Chinese and Indian passengers with expired visa leaving the country
through the Lagos airport are being made to pay a fine of $1000 to the
NIS without which they were not allowed to board their flights.
The consequence was that those who could not afford to pay the money
were left stranded at the airport as they missed their flights.
Greenwich News learnt that the money was collected in cash and there was no indication that it was remitted to the coffers of the Nigeria Immigration Service.
Greenwich News learnt that the money was collected in cash and there was no indication that it was remitted to the coffers of the Nigeria Immigration Service.
“So the question is: Are they remitting the money to Immigration? If
they are what law is backing that they should be collecting the money?
As far as I know there is no law in the statute that authorised such
collection and I know that the National Assembly is yet to pass the
amended Immigration law, which has been there for eight years,” an
inside source told news men.
It is reported that everyday 30 to 40 Chinese and Indians leaving the country were stopped at the Immigration profiling section and they either had to pay the said amount of money or not board their flights.
It is reported that everyday 30 to 40 Chinese and Indians leaving the country were stopped at the Immigration profiling section and they either had to pay the said amount of money or not board their flights.
“The Chinese and Indians usually have boarding passes but would not be
allowed to pass. We know that visa is done on reciprocity. By asking
them to pay this money as penalty is not bad if it is backed by law and
if the money is remitted to Immigration because I know how they treat
Nigerians who over stay their visa. They usually deny them boarding of
their flights and at the end deport them as illegal immigrants”
The source also explained that why this involved largely Indians and
Chinese was because most of them come to Nigeria to work, but they
hardly obtain Nigerian work permit at the Nigerian embassies overseas,
“so they come with business visa or tourist visa which only last about
three months and they usually stay behind to work for a long time after
the expiration of their visa and are forced to pay that $1000 “penalty”
by the Immigration at the airport.
Journalists spoke with the Public Relations Officer of Immigration at the
airport, simply identified as Mr. Olaniyan, a superintendent of
Immigration and when he was questioned whether the money was remitted to
Immigration he answered: “It is out of courtesy that I decided to allow
you come into my office. We have not known each other before so I
didn’t want to appear rude or to embarrass you.
Officially I am not supposed to tell you anything as long as this uniform is on me. So I cannot tell you even A.”
For the Customs, the officials claimed what they collected on traders’ baggage are duties.
For the Customs, the officials claimed what they collected on traders’ baggage are duties.
A Nigerian woman who travelled to Senegal and bought goods told news men
how she was forced to pay N10, 000 for her hand luggage.
“When we arrived from Dakar early in the morning on July 10, 2012 we waited for our luggage. Mine did not arrive that day but I had a handbag, which a Customs official insisted I must pay for. I protested that this was my hand luggage, but he asked me to open the bag, which I did, so he looked inside and insisted that I must pay N10, 000.00.
“When we arrived from Dakar early in the morning on July 10, 2012 we waited for our luggage. Mine did not arrive that day but I had a handbag, which a Customs official insisted I must pay for. I protested that this was my hand luggage, but he asked me to open the bag, which I did, so he looked inside and insisted that I must pay N10, 000.00.
“He said that it was what they were asked to do. I paid the money at
(one of the banks) and they gave me a receipt, but it was not a bank
teller. They used to ask us to pay N5, 000 before but now it is N10, 000
for each bag. So if you come with 10 bags you pay N100, 000.”
Reacting to the allegation, the Spokesman of Customs at the Lagos
Airport, Odun Saturday, told news men that what the women were asked to
pay was official duty charged by Customs.
“Customs made the duty uniform and we charge them that duty because
they bring in imported goods from outside West Africa, although they go
to Dakar to buy them. If it is those materials that are made in Ghana we
don’t charge duty on them but this one is embroidery, which you know is
imported into Senegal, so value has been added and it is based on that
value that we charge duty on the goods.”
Saturday also explained that although trade liberalisation is
encouraged among West Africa countries, but importing manufactured goods
from outside the sub region should be discouraged. He added that if a
person travelled outside this country and buy personal items he cannot
pay duty on them.
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