Governor Akinwumni Ambode of Lagos has requested that the federal government repatriate about 199 illegal Togolese immigrants who are presently staying at Lagos Emergency Resettlement Centres in Igando and Agbowa areas of the state.
According to The Punch, Mr. Tunji Bello, the secretary of the Lagos state government in a statement issued on Monday, August 24, said that due to the limited facilities at the centres, it was difficult to continue to support the illegal immigrants.
The immigrants were originally at the Ikoyi area of the state before they were taken to the centres. Bello said the ministries of internal affairs, foreign affairs and the Nigeria Immigration Service were notified on the issue but nothing had been done to repatriate the immigrants.
Part of the statement read: “Surprisingly, the state government realised that these ministries have not taken any step to address the situation because the numbers of illegal immigrants from Togo have continued to increase daily. As of today, the number of Togolese illegal immigrants has increased from 114 to 199, putting serious pressure on the limited spaces at the two camps.
“Investigations by the state showed that the Togolese immigrants were expelled from Benin Republic where they had lived for over 10 years. They came to Lagos and because of the accommodation provided by the state government at its ERCs, these illegal immigrants at the Igando camp started calling their friends and family on the telephone in Benin Republic to come to Nigeria, telling them that they now have a new home. By last weekend, another 85 illegal immigrants of Togolese descent were taken to the ERC, Agbowa.”
Bello said the centres should not be abused as they were built to accommodate Nigerians in periods of distress.
“These two emergency facilities as of today are seriously been overused and can no longer accommodate anybody. What becomes of legal residents of the state in case of an emergency occurs? The Nigeria Immigration Service is, therefore, advised to ensure that the nation’s borders are well manned by not giving room to any form of compromise at all times.”
Meanwhile, the governor has revoked the concession contract meant to rebuild the popular Falomo shopping complex in Ikoyi.
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