The Federal Government yesterday suspended the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
While many had thought that Paradang was suspended over the controversy surrounding how a terrorist leader of ISIS obtained Nigerian Visa in Lebanon, a letter to the suspended CG shows that he was suspended for recruiting officers into the immigration service without due recourse to laid down provision and refusal to reverse the recruitment despite warning from appropriate quarters.
In the letter of suspension addressed to Paradang and signed by the Director of the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration And Prisons Services Board, the Immigration boss is alleged to haave committed “grave error” by recruiting 1,600 officers into the service.
“I am directed to inform you ?that you have been found out to have issued out letters of appointment of seven hundred (700) Assistant Inspectors of Immigration and nine hundred (900) Immigration Assistants III into the Nigerian Immigration Service without approval”, the letter reads in part.
The letter further stated that the immigration boss failed to take necessary measures to correct the wrongdoings despite repeated advice given out s contained in two letters of 11th and 14 June 2015.
It added that above mentioned act committed by Padarang which it described a deliberate disregard to extant laws and an act of insubordination to constituted authority necessitated his suspension from office.
Meanwhile, Paradang is to handover to the most senior officer in the service while awaiting further instructions.
The suspended NIS CG who was appointed into office in June 2013 for a four-year tenure was also indicted in the recruitment scandal which led to the death of at least 15 applicants across Nigeria about two years ago.
The Immigration Service has been under focus in the past few days following revelations that Ahmad al-Assir, a leader of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS was able to secure valid Nigerian visa in Lebanon.
The ISIS leader who is on international list of wanted terrorists obtained the visa on a fake Palestinian passport and was on his way to Nigeria before he was arrested in Lebanon.