Buhari suspends Immigration CG, Parradang

The federal government has suspended David Parradang, comptroller-general of Immigration, with immediate effect.

This is contained in a statement signed by Yusuf Isiaka Alhaji, director of press, federal ministry of interior, on behalf of the permanent secretary of the ministry.

According to the statement, Martin Kure Abeshi, deputy comptroller-general of the service, will take over the affairs of Parradang’s office, as he is the most senior officer after the suspended CG.

The statement did not state the reason for Parradang’s suspension, but it is believed to be connected with investigations into how wanted terrorist Ahmad al-Assir secured Nigerian visa in Lebanon to visit Nigeria.

Al-Assir was apprehended on August 17 at the Rafik Hariri International Airport in Beirut, Lebanon, after a failed attempt to by-pass the authorities with a fake passport and obvious change of looks. President Muhammadu Buhari immediately ordered an investigation into the matter.

Parradang’s immigration service was also the subject of some intense public scrutiny in 2014, following a shoddy recruitment exercise that resulted in the death of at least 20 job applicants in different parts of the country.

But he has always denied involvement in the organisation of the exercise, saying the interior ministry under Abba Moro handled it.

More than 700,000 applicants paid N1000 each to be part of the process.