Ghanaian arrested with 16 international passports

The Nigeria Immigration Service has arrested a Ghanaian, Kofi Ansah, with 16 international passports.

The Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mr. Joseph Udeh, who announced the arrest of the Ghanaian at a news conference in Abuja, also said that one Obong Princewill Saturday, was arrested in Lagos while negotiating to obtain multiple passports.

Udeh said that Ansah was arrested by the Joint Border Patrol of Immigration and the Police with 10 Ghanaian passports, one American passport, one Nigerian passport, one French passport, one Belgian passport, one Netherlands passport and a Nigerian travel document.

On the other hand, the Immigration boss said that Saturday was nabbed while trying to obtain the fourth international passport at Ikeja, Lagos Passport Office.

The CG explained that while the suspected passport racketeer was negotiating to obtain an international passport, it was discovered by eagle eyed passport officer that he had already secured three international passports using different names.

Udeh who paraded the suspect before the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ambassador Mogaji Mohammed, warned that the Service was more than ever ready to confront passport racketeers.

He said that holders of multiple passports usually employ them for drug and human trafficking purposes.

Though the Ghanaian was not paraded, Udeh said that the two suspects would be handed over to the police for prosecution.

Mohammed advised Saturday to turn a new leaf urging him to see his arrest as a lesson.

"A young man like you should have been in school and not engage in shady deals. You must see your arrest as a lesson, which you should learn from," the minister said.

He commended the CG for the reorganisation going in the Service.