The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammad Babandede, yesterday expressed worry over fake marriages by foreigners to some Nigerians.
He said there had been a sharp increase in December 2020 of such marriages to Nigerian spouses to avoid payment of $2,000 Residence Permit.
Babandede said the development would deny the nation a lot of revenue, take away jobs and cause security problems.
The NIS boss spoke during the unveiling of the agency’s 2020 Annual Report by Interior Minister Rauf Aregbesola at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
In a statement by the ministry’s Director of Press, Mohammed Manga, the NIS boss regretted that “despite several arrests and deportation orders signed by the Minister of Interior, there was a sharp increase in December 2020, compared with previous months in the year”.
He added: “This is a call for action since a fake marriage will continue to undermine revenue, take away jobs from Nigerians and pose a security challenge to the country.”
Aregbesola advised stakeholders to support the service to enable it deliver on its statutory mandate.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, the minister reiterated the governments’ commitment to making the NIS a world-class migration management agency that can compete favourably with any of its counterparts anywhere in the world to enable it serve Nigerians and foreigners better.
