NIS arrests 55 illegal migrants from Cameroon, Congo in Osun
Nigerian Immigration Service Arrests 55 Migrants in Osun State
OSOGBO, Nigeria — The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has apprehended 55 migrants from Cameroon and the Republic of Congo for allegedly entering Osun State through unauthorized routes and remaining without valid travel documents.
The migrants were presented to the media on Friday in Osogbo following their arrests at various locations throughout the state. Ibrahim Akinyemi, the Osun State Comptroller of Immigration, indicated that the arrests were made based on intelligence gathered by his office.
“These individuals are irregular migrants who have caused significant disruptions by operating without the necessary immigration documentation,” Akinyemi said.
He detailed the process that led to the apprehension of the migrants, stating that NIS officials utilized intelligence to locate them and subsequently brought them to the command headquarters as directed by the Comptroller-General of the NIS.
Akinyemi emphasized that this operation was just the beginning and that further profiling would be conducted to assess the migrants’ immigration statuses and eligibility for regularization.
Preliminary investigations revealed that these migrants lacked valid travel documents, including passports. “None of them has even a basic passport, yet they are engaged in illegal online businesses not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission,” he added.
Some of the migrants were found residing in the Owode-Ede area, while NIS officials continue to seek out others who might be hidden in undisclosed locations. The migrants indicated they came to Osun to participate in an online business identified as QNET but were reluctant to provide additional details about their operations.
Akinyemi noted that the agency would investigate how the migrants entered the state and pursue any individuals suspected of facilitating their movement.
One of the migrants, Ismail Mohammed, a national from Cameroon, stated that he arrived in Osun in February 2026 after being invited by a woman from Chad to engage in online business here.
The NIS confirmed that further profiling and investigation would be conducted to determine the individual circumstances of the migrants and the appropriate administrative actions to follow.
