The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, has cautioned Nigerians travelling to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia without proper documentation as Saudi authorities have heightened a clampdown on irregular migrants.
A statement by NiDCOM said its attention had been drawn to a communication from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Saudi Arabian authorities, intensifying the crackdown on undocumented foreigners in their country.
The letter stated that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between October and December 2022, intensified joint operations across the country targeted at ridding the kingdom of undocumented irregular migrants.
In the letter to the Federal Government, the Saudi Arabian government noted that about 45,458 foreigners were in the country for offences ranging from violation of residency rules, illegal border crossing attempts and irregular migrants for labour-related offences.
It states that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has about 800 Nigerians arrested and detained for various offences, particularly Consular issues since the clampdown began in October 2022.
NiDCOM said though the Nigerian Embassy in Saudi was intervening in this matter, it urged Nigerians to resist breaking the laws of other countries.
The commission, however, appealed to Nigerian citizens that if they must travel, they should travel with proper documentation.
Nigerians traveling to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have been cautioned by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) to ensure they have proper documentation as Saudi authorities have intensified their crackdown on undocumented foreigners.
NiDCOM issued a statement in response to a communication from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on Saudi Arabian authorities’ clampdown on irregular migrants. The letter noted that the Saudi government had intensified joint operations to rid the country of undocumented migrants between October and December 2022.
According to the letter, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has about 800 Nigerians arrested and detained for various offenses, particularly consular issues, since the clampdown began in October 2022. It also states that about 45,458 foreigners were in the country for offenses ranging from violation of residency rules, illegal border crossing attempts, and irregular migrants for labor-related offenses.
While the Nigerian Embassy in Saudi Arabia is intervening in the matter, NiDCOM urged Nigerians to resist breaking the laws of other countries and to travel with proper documentation if they must travel.
The warning is coming on the heels of reports of several Nigerians and other Africans being deported from Saudi Arabia over the past few years. In 2019, about 802 Nigerians were deported from Saudi Arabia over allegations of visa fraud and other offenses, and in 2020, there were reports of several Nigerians and other Africans being detained and deported from the country.
