The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, David Parradang, was suspended by the presidency for recruiting 1600 officers without due approvals.
President Buhari had suspended the Immigration chief last week without clear reasons, leading to speculations that it might be compnnected with the issuance of Nigerian visa to a suspected terrorist, which the president had ordered investigation.
But a letter to Paradang from the Ministry of Interior shows he was suspended for recruiting 1,600 officers without recourse to due process, a report by Eagle a online indicates.
In the letter, dated August 21, from the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board, Paradang was accused of “deliberate disregard to the extant laws” guiding recruitment and of “insubordination to constituted authority and improper behaviour inimical to the Service that is unbecoming of a public officer….”
The letter, with reference No. CDFIPB/IMM/348/Vol. 1/53, and signed by the Director/Secretary of the CDFIPB, A.A. Ibrahim, reads in full: I am directed to inform you that you have been found to have issued out letters of appointment to seven hundred (700) Assistant Inspectors of Immigration and nine hundred (900) Immigration Assistants III into the Nigeria Immigration Service without approval; and you refuse to take necessary measures to correct the wrongdoing despite repeated advice given to you as conveyed in letters Reference No. FMI/PSO/001/III/402, of 11th June 2015 and Ref. No. FMI/PSO/001/III/411 of 14th of June 2015.
“Having considered the above mentioned acts committed by you to mean deliberate disregard to the extant laws, insubordination to constituted authority and improper behaviour inimical to the Service that is unbecoming of a public officer, I am to inform you that you have been suspended from Office with immediate effect.
“While you await further instructions, you are to hand over the affairs of your Office to the most senior officer in the Nigeria Immigration Service.
“Please accept the well wishes of the Permanent Secretary.”
The letter was followed up on Friday with a suspension notice from the office of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Interior.
The notice was contained in statement signed by the Director of Press of the Federal Ministry of Interior, Yusuf Isiaka Alhaji, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary.
The statement said the Deputy Comptroller-General of Immigration, Martin Kure Abeshi, had been directed to take over the affairs of the office.
Abeshi is the most senior officer after Parradang, the statement added.
