The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has revealed that more than 840,000 foreigners are currently staying in Nigeria beyond the validity of their visas.
Papers News reports that he made this known on Tuesday during a television interview, where he explained that the figure was discovered through a newly improved immigration tracking system.
According to him, the data shows that irregular migration is not only about Nigerians living abroad without proper documents but also affects Nigeria internally, with many foreign nationals failing to leave when their visas expire.
The minister said the number of visa overstayers has reached over 840,000, involving people from different countries, bringing the figure close to one million.
According to him, “As of this morning, through our upgraded system, I can tell you that the number of overstayers that we have… we have about 840,290 visa overstayers in Nigeria. These are citizens of different countries in Nigeria, almost a million.”
This update comes at a time when there is growing public discussion about a recent migration agreement between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
On March 19, both countries signed three agreements aimed at improving cooperation on migration matters.
The minister explained that the deal is based on mutual understanding and equal treatment between both nations.
He said the goal is to create a proper system for safe and controlled movement of people while also tackling illegal migration, human trafficking, and smuggling.
