The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has condemned the recent shooting of an immigration officer allegedly on the orders of a Chinese company operating in Nigeria.

Speaking on Thursday in Abuja during a Stakeholders’ Sensitization Workshop on the Implementation of the Nigeria Visa Policy 2025, Tunji-Ojo described the attack which occurred in Niger State as a direct assault on Nigeria’s sovereignty.

“I will not go to any country, open a company, and say the immigration service cannot come out. I will not do that.

“I don’t want to mention the company here, but they shot one of our immigration officers. They told their security attaché to shoot our officer, and he did— a foreign company?

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“That happened a couple of weeks ago in Niger, and we are going to take it up with the Chinese embassy because it’s a Chinese company.

“I won’t go to China as a Nigerian, enter a company, and tell my security to shoot a government official in uniform. It’s never done anywhere in the world. That alone is an attack on Nigeria,” he said.

Tunji-Ojo warned that the government would escalate the issue with the Chinese Embassy, adding that such actions would not be tolerated in any sovereign nation.

“This is unjust, and we are going to take it up. These officers put their lives on the line to serve this country, and no one will come from anywhere to shoot them in their fatherland. That officer is a father, a son, a husband—his life matters,” he added.

According to the minister, the federal government is intensifying immigration reforms, including the automation of its White, Grey, and Blacklists to track and swiftly blacklist foreigners who pose a security threat.

The minister announced that starting May 1, 2025, Nigeria will implement an Expatriate Administration System to monitor all foreign workers in the country.

He also said a three-month window will be given for compliance, after which enforcement, prosecution, and deportation will follow for violators.

“We will not allow the abuse of our immigration protocols. We want you in Nigeria, but only if you obey our laws,” Tunji-Ojo warned.