Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Kemi Nandap, has accused some unnamed “individuals in the diaspora, who are on a watchlist” of sponsoring the #EndBadGovernance protests, announcing today (Tuesday, August 6) at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, after “a strategic” meeting convened by the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, that such “individuals would be arrested whenever they set foot on Nigerian soil.”
According to reports, the Defence Chief, along with other heads of intelligence and paramilitary agencies, held a closed-door meeting to implement a crackdown order from President Bola Tinubu.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Nandap said: “We have diaspora sponsors on our watchlist. They are watch-listed, and any attempt they make to enter the country will trigger an alert, leading to their arrest and handover to the appropriate authorities.”
In response to ongoing protests, the NIS has deployed additional officers to both land and airport borders to ensure effective monitoring of entry and exit points.
Nandap also mentioned that surveillance has been intensified to prevent foreign intervention in Nigeria.
Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Yusuf Bichi, stated that the agency had identified several sponsors but refrained from providing further details.
Represented by DSS spokesman Peter Afunanya, Bichi revealed that some bank accounts linked to these sponsors had already been blocked.
Afunanya added that the individuals operating these accounts, some of whom reside abroad, are under close surveillance.
