The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has called on all Cameroonian refugees, technical expatriates and other migrants to immediately report and register at their offices in all the 18 LGAs of the state in an exercise called Migrant e-registration.
He cautioned that migrants who refused to do so within three months will be penalised. The registration exercise is peculiar in Cross River because of the political crisis in neighbouring Cameroon.
The new comptroller of NIS in Cross River State, James Okey Ezugwu, who had his maiden meeting with journalists in his office, said he had deployed his men all over the local government areas and called on hoteliers, traditional, and religious rulers and landlords to help identify foreigners staying with them.
He said the registration is free and that any personnel in the state who would place charges would be dealt with.
The comptroller said the e-registration exercise was to ensure that the migrants have comprehensive data base of all foreigners in Nigeria.
Stressing that national security could no longer be compromised, Ezugwu said: “The profiling of migrants is now even more imperative because Cross River State, being a border state, was a haven for foreigners.”
“We are commencing the registration of migrants in all the 18 local government areas of the state. Every migrant must be captured and profiled so that we can be held responsible. It helps in planning and enhances our productivity, security wise.”
“Cross River State occupies a strategic place when it comes to boundary issues. Our peculiar situation makes it imperative to account for every foreigner in the state,” the Comptroller said.
