Authorities in Osun State have intensified efforts to check irregular migration, with 55 foreign nationals arrested for allegedly staying in the state without valid travel documents.
The Nigeria Immigration Service, Osun State Command, said the migrants, who are nationals of Cameroon and the Republic of Congo, were arrested at different locations following intelligence gathering.
The Osun Comptroller of Immigration, Abraham Akinyemi, said the operation followed information that led officers to the migrants’ various locations. He said the migrants were brought to the command for profiling and verification, but none could produce passports or other valid travel documents.
Akinyemi said the migrants would be processed for repatriation in line with immigration procedures, adding that the operation was only the beginning of a wider exercise.
Some of the migrants were reportedly found in Owode-Ede, while the command continues efforts to identify others who may be staying in undisclosed locations across the state. The comptroller said the migrants claimed they were in Osun to operate an online business known as QNET, but could not provide sufficient details about the nature or registration of the business.
He said the command would also investigate how the migrants entered the country and identify individuals who may have facilitated their movement into the state. According to Akinyemi, some of the migrants claimed they travelled through Yola in Adamawa State before arriving in Osun.
He warned that the immigration authorities would continue to monitor irregular migration and take action against foreigners living or operating businesses in the state without the required documentation.
One of the migrants, Ismail Mohammed from Cameroon, said he arrived in Osun in February 2026 after being invited by a woman living in Chad to engage in the online business.
The immigration command said further investigations would determine the circumstances surrounding the migrants’ entry and stay in Nigeria, as well as the appropriate action to be taken against them.
