Paradang: Suspended

Ayorinde Oluokun.

David Paradang, the Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service was suspended from office by the Federal Government on Friday.

No reason was given for the suspension which was announced in a statement by Yusuf Isiaka, Director of Press Federal Ministry of Interior, the supervising ministry of NIS, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary.

The Immigration Service has been under focus in the past few days, following revelations that Ahmad al-Assir, a leader of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS was able to secure valid Nigerian visa in Lebanon.

The ISIS leader who is on international list of wanted terrorists obtained the visa on a fake Palestinian passport and was on the way to Nigeria before he was arrested in Lebanon.

Federal Government had on Wednesday ordered investigations into how the ISIS leader was able to obtain valid visa without detection.

President Mohammed Buhari who was embarrassed by the manner the leading terrorist was able to get valid Nigerian visa had ordered investigations into the issue.

The President had directed the three agencies involved – the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Nigerian Immigration Service to immediately investigate the matter and report back soonest. But the Immigration Service had earlier denied that the ISIS leader could not have obtained a Nigerian visa.

The Service said there was no record of application for visa by the ISIS chief. Paradang was directed to hand over to Mr Martin Abeshi, a Deputy Comptroller General.

The suspended NIS CG who was appointed into office in June 2013 for a four year tenure was also indicted in the recruitment scandal which led to the death of at least 15 applicants across Nigeria about two years ago