The Federal government has condemned the shooting of an Immigration officer by a Chinese businessman in Minna, Niger state, warning that the incident might cause a major diplomatic row because no Nigerian should be ill-treated for doing legitimate duty in their land.

Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo who was visibly angry over the incident, said the action of the Chinese businessman was not only condemnable but unacceptable, saying the Nigerian Government would take up the issue at the diplomatic level.

He revealed that an innocent Immigration officer on routine duty visited a Chinese Company in Minna, Niger State to ask questions on a work permit only for the Chinese businessman involved to order his security to shoot the Immigration officer, and the officer was shot.

The Minister who talked tough over the incident on Thursday in Abuja during a stakeholders sensitisation workshop on the implementation of the Nigeria Visa policy 2025, vowed that government would not treat the issue with levity to avoid reoccurrence.

He noted that as Minister he had sworn to an oath to the Constitution and Nigerian laws that were meant to protect the officer who was shot, not by a terrorist.

?That guy shot is a father, he?s a son to somebody. He?s a husband to somebody. That cannot happen anywhere in the world. We will not tolerate it. Please, no agent, no company is above the law,? Tunji-Ojo stated while adding the incident was a slap on Nigeria as a nation.

He said: ?I won?t go to China as a Nigerian, open a company and tell my security to shoot a government official in uniform. It?s never done anywhere in the world.

?These officers put their lives on the line. These officers serve this country with their all. And you will not come from anywhere and ask them to shoot them in their fatherland.

?It will no longer happen. We will take it up with you. Because that company, we (Nigerian government) have the power to withdraw their business in Nigeria and declare them illegal,? Tunji-Ojo said.

?We are going to take this matter up with the Chinese government. An Immigration officer on routine duty visited a Chinese Company, and asked routine questions on work permit only for the Chinese businessman involved to ask his security detail to shoot the Immigration officer, and the security detail did so.

?This is unacceptable. We are going to go tough on that businessman and the Chinese authorities.

?It will never happen in China for a Nigerian businessman to order the shooting of a Chinese Immigration officer. This will not be tolerated here in Nigeria,? he stated.

Speaking on the ongoing reforms on migration policy in the country, the Minister disclosed that Visa on Arrival policy is gone with the introduction of the e-visa application system.

He noted that the reforms were to ensure that within two days an applicant should be able to get his or her visa into Nigeria.

Tunji-Ojo also announced a three-month asylum window from May 1, 2025 to August 1, 2025, for all the expatriates in Nigeria with overstayed visas to ensure harmonization and regularization. He added that at the end of this grace period government would begin enforcement by a lot deportations and payment of penalties of $15,000.

He warned that those who come do business in Nigeria must obey the law of the country, saying going forward, government would be hard on the issue of immigration.

?We?re simplifying the system to ensure that legitimate people with the right intentions can come to Nigeria for trade, for tourism, for holidays, for whatever, medical, for education, for anything. We are open for you to come. Nigeria is open for business.

But we will not allow for the abuse of our immigration protocols. We will not accept that. And as a matter of fact, by 1st of May, for expatriates in Nigeria and people working in Nigeria, there will be what we call an expatriate administration system, whereby everybody comes into that platform.

?And at the end of the day, we want to be able to know where you are, what you?re doing, and we want to be accountable for everybody in Nigeria. We will be given a three-month window. I call it an asylum window from the 1st of May till the 1st of August for regularisation of immigration protocols in line with our laws.

?After that, we will move to the era of enforcement, prosecution, and deportation because we know today that there a lot of abuses in terms of our immigration policies.

?But before we act, we want to give you the opportunity to act. Anybody that falls short of that, obviously, has other motives of being in Nigeria. We want you in Nigeria, but to the extent to which you are ready to obey the laws of Nigeria,? he stated. (Text, excluding headline: Nigerian Tribune)

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