Antigua Immigration Division denies any irregularities concerning Nigerian Constitution flights

The Antigua Immigration Division has denied accusations made by the primary opposition United Progressive Social gathering (UPP) regarding constitution flights from Nigeria insisting that each one the passengers who have been allowed into Antigua and Barbuda, glad all entry necessities.

In a press release, the UPP questioned why the Immigration Division has remained silent within the face of what it known as “apparent irregularities” concerning the constitution flights and that “authorities automobiles have been seen transporting Nigerian vacationers to varied areas”.

However in a press release, the Immigration Division mentioned the entire passengers on the constitution flights from Nigeria, who have been granted entry to Antigua and Barbuda, glad all entry necessities, together with declarations of their locations of lodging.

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It mentioned they have been, due to this fact, granted visas on arrival, a process for which the legislation supplies, and that’s utilized within the circumstances of many guests from different international locations.

The Immigration Division mentioned it needed to make it clear that the requirement “to declare their locations of lodging was not waived as claimed” by the opposition occasion.

Additional, the Immigration Division mentioned it isn’t conscious that any of the guests modified their declared locations of lodging.

“In any occasion, altering the place of lodging shouldn’t be a criminal offense, nor does it imply that the customer can’t be traced if the need arises.  The Immigration Division is now in possession of the biometric information of all of them.  Subsequently, this assertion from the UPP is unnecessarily accusatory and alarmist. “

The Immigration Division added that whereas it isn’t the enterprise of the Division to trace the means by which guests are transported from the airport, inquiries have been made from airport safety and customs officers, and it turned out {that a} Nigerian, who has been working on the Agriculture Ministry, and who’s assigned a authorities automobile to hold out his duties, did meet mates from a aircraft on Monday evening.

The Immigration Division mentioned it needed to guarantee the general public that there have been no irregularities by any means; a lot in order that the Authorities collected EC$25,000 (One EC greenback=US$0.37 cents) in visa charges from the passengers on Monday evening’s constitution.

It mentioned additional, many of those passengers are booked on onward flights to different locations within the Caribbean.

Antigua and Barbuda is making ready to carry a common election on January 18.

CMC/