Foreigners Arrested at Registration Centres

Six foreign nationals have been arrested in Kano by the immigration service while trying to obtain voters' cards during the ongoing registration exercise.

The foreigners who are citizens of Niger Republic, were apprehended by officials of the Kano Command of the Nigerian Immigration at different registration centres within the metropolis. Showing the suspects to newsmen in his office yesterday, the state Immigration comptroller, Dr. Brasca Emmanuel U. I., said three of them had already obtained the cards while the other three were arrested in the process of getting registered.

The names of those arrested were given as Murtala Yahaya, Salisu Mohammed, Abdullahi Lawwali, Mohammed Akliu, Muratala Mukhtar and Yusuf Rabilu. The immigration boss told journalists that the cases of foreigners wanting to get voters' cards in the state was higher among Niger nationals, adding that most of the Nigeriens hold the assumption that overstaying in the country guarantees them the right to exercise civic duties as Nigerians.

The immigration boss however noted that the practice of "illegal registration" by foreigners is not peculiar to the northern region alone, pointing out that a number of citizens of some West African countries had also been found to be involved in the act in the South-west region.

How did this foreigners think they could register when they are not citizens of Nigeria.