Comptroller General of Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Mr David Parrandang, has said there was no record of application for visa by the ISIS chief, Ahmed Al Assir, allegedly arrested on his way to Nigeria via Cairo.
Parrandang, reacting to the development on phone with the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja, on Thursday, said he was, however, awaiting the Federal Government’s investigation ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He denied involvement of his officers in the issuance of visa to the radical Muslim cleric, saying Nigeria had no immigration officers in Lebanon in the first place.
“We don’t have immigration officers in that country. We understand that the president has ordered investigation into it, so we are waiting for the outcome of the investigation,” he said.
The terrorist, who had been on the wanted list of Lebanese security forces, was reportedly arrested at the airport last Saturday while attempting to visit Cairo, Egypt, en route Nigeria on a forged Palestinian passport.
It was reported that Al Assir, who was of Palestinian extraction, had undergone surgery to alter his appearance, so as to evade detection by security operatives.
He was accused of involvement in the death of 17 Lebanese soldiers and had been sentenced to death by the court in 2013.
He was said to have been using different aliases to evade arrest and that his current pseudonym was not on the watch list of the Lebanese security forces.
Following the report of the arrest, President Buhari, on Wednesday, reportedly ordered an investigation into how the Lebanese got the Nigerian visa found in his passport.
The president, it was gathered, directed the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and NIS to explain how the wanted terrorist was able to get Nigerian visa.
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