There is an apparent air of fear and paranoia in the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) over the issuance of visa to ISIS chief, Ahmed Al Assir, who was apprehended by Lebanese security operatives while he was on his way to Nigeria, Vanguard reports.
Al Assir was on his way to Nigeria through Egypt but was arrested by security officials at the airport. He was reportedly accused of being responsible for the death of about 17 Lebanese soldiers and was sentenced to death by the country’s judiciary.
Already, President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered an investigation into how a wanted terrorist was issued with a Nigerian passport. Al Assir was a fugitive who was wanted by several governments around the world.
According to Vanguard, a source revealed that the president was worried about the development and had ordered relevant agencies to explain how an ISIS terrorist was found with a valid Nigerian passport.
“The reported arrest of the wanted terrorist is a huge embarrassment to Nigeria and the President has directed that the matter should be investigated. The embassy in Lebanon has been directed to furnish the ministry with details of how the man got the visa. The National Intelligence Agency Officer has been directed to provide details of what happened,” the officer said.
Officials of the NIS on Wednesday, August 19, engaged in several meetings to deliberate on the issue and sources have said that some persons may face sack following the controversial visa saga.
It was also reported that the management was considering a major ‘shake-up’ in the visa department to prevent a recurrence of the issue.
Meanwhile, Nigerians habe reacted angrily to the news that Al Assir’s attempted to enter Nigeria and some have accused the president of being lackadaisical about the issue.
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