Police Nab 165 Illegal Immigrants In Kebbi

The Kebbi State command of the Nigeria Police Force has announced the arrest of 165 illegal immigrants hailing from Burkina Faso, Mali, Ivory Coast, Benin Republic, and Niger Republic.

In a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday, the command’s Public Relations Officer, CSP Nafiu Abubakar, said the individuals were found living in a three-bedroom apartment located in the Kuwait area of Birnin Kebbi.

He noted that the arrests were made following an intelligence tip-off that prompted detectives from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to uncover the presence of the individuals from francophone nations living in the overcrowded accommodation.

During the operation, authorities detained 35 individuals from Burkina Faso, 110 from Ivory Coast, 11 from Benin Republic, five from Niger Republic, and four from Mali.

CSP Abubakar indicated that initial investigations revealed the suspects were living in Nigeria without proper documentation and were reportedly involved in the Qnet Ponzi scheme.

He also mentioned that the suspects have been transferred to the Nigeria Immigration Service, Kebbi State Command.

Naijaonpoint understands that prior to the arrest, residents in the vicinity had voiced their apprehensions regarding illegal immigration and its possible repercussions on local security.

A local resident, Adamu Augie, who spoke to Daily Trust, noted that many of those detained had been residing in the flat for several months.

“We don’t know what they do for a living, but we have been seeing them coming in and out of the flat. We don’t know where they are from, but it’s clear they are not Nigerians,” Augie said.

He further explained that locals were uneasy about their presence, citing their unfamiliar appearance and non-Nigerian looks.

“Some of us reported their presence to the police. Given the current security situation, you can’t be too cautious,” he added.

Another resident, Abdullahi Umar, confirmed that the police raided the flat based on tips from locals who had noticed the unfamiliar individuals’ movements.

“The police have done a good job. We didn’t know anything about these people. Their presence poses a significant security threat because they aren’t Nigerians, and no one knew why they were all gathered in that one flat,” Umar said.