Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has explained why passport of #EndSARS protest frontliner, Modupe Odele has been withheld by the service since Monday, November 2.
Modupe ‘Moe’ Odele, a legal practitioner and member of the Feminist Coalition, had narrated how she was stopped from travelling out of the country for her birthday and her passport was seized.
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This led to outrage as many Nigerians accused the government of intimidating and witch-hunting strong advocates of the #EndSARS movement.
Odele was actively involved in the #EndSARS campaign by arranging and offering legal aid to persons who were arrested during demonstrations in different states in the country.
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Reacting to this, Spokesman for the NIS, Mr. Sunday James, in an interview with the ThePunch said that Odele’s passport was seized as part of a routine border assignment and not due to the part she played in the campaign against police brutality.
Speaking on Thursday night, November 5, Mr Sunday James noted that whenever a restriction has been placed on any individual, the immigration service is duty-bound to enforce it.
James expressed that immigration did not seize Odele’s passport because of her #EndSARS activities but because it was enforcing a restriction order.
He said;
When there is a directive from any agency of government not specific, we have to enforce either entry or restriction of entry by anybody who has been directed not to be allowed exit or entry and as a matter of fact, we cannot as a border management agency, allow anybody who has been restricted from leaving the country to go out and we cannot allow anybody who has been restricted from entry to enter.
James added;
So, it is a routine assignment and it has nothing to do with End SARS. We are the lead agency for the security management of the border. It has to do with the restriction order which we are duty-bound to enforce.
Federal Government has been accused of generating a no-fly list of #EndSARS promoters, but has strongly denied this claim.
