NIS arrests 55 illegal migrants from Cameroon, Congo in Osun

The Nigeria Immigration Service, Osun State Command, apprehended 55 illegal migrants from Cameroon and the Republic of Congo. They entered the state through unauthorized routes and were residing without valid travel documents. The migrants were paraded in Osogbo after their arrest in various locations across Osun. Osun State Comptroller of Immigration, Ibrahim Akinyemi, revealed that the arrests were based on intelligence received by the command.

The suspects were described as irregular migrants. The exercise aimed to identify foreigners operating businesses without the required immigration documentation. The migrants were traced to their locations following intelligence gathering, and subsequently brought to the command headquarters at the directive of NIS headquarters through the Comptroller-General.

The operation was only the beginning, according to Akinyemi, and the migrants would undergo profiling to determine their immigration status and regularisation eligibility. Preliminary checks showed that the migrants lacked valid travel documents, including passports. They were allegedly engaged in unregistered online businesses.

Some were found in Owode-Ede area, and efforts continue to identify those at undisclosed locations. The migrants claimed to have come through Yola (Adamawa State). They stated they arrived in Osun in February 2026 after being invited by a woman in Chad to engage in online business in the state. Further profiling and investigation will determine their individual circumstances and the appropriate administrative action to be taken.