Immigrations to help INEC prevent foreigners from voting

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has promised to lend a helping hand to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prevent illegal foreigners from participating in the 2019 general elections.

This promise was made by the agency's Comptroller General, Muhammad Babandede, while he was speaking during an operational review meeting with Zonal Coordinators and State Comptrollers on Wednesday, March 14, 2018.

At the meeting, which took place at the agency's national headquarters in Abuja, Babandede directed Comptrollers of Command to prevent non-Nigerians passing through the borders to interfere with the country's elections.

He said, "For avoidance of doubt, Nigeria Immigration Service retrieved several voter's cards. In 2017 alone, we retrieved 299 and the chairman of INEC came here and commended us for retrieving voter's card from non-Nigerians.

"Please continue to do that good job at the borders when people are crossing or when you come across migrant who has committed offence.

"It is our responsibility in 2019 to ensure that non-Nigerians do not participate in our election. They must not vote and they must not be voted. This is very clear.

"So, if any Nigerian has information should share with us - we have our hotline; and I direct all Comptrollers of Command to assist INEC during verification and during voting so that no non-Nigerian will be allowed to contest, especially at the bother communities where it's very easy."