The Nigerian Immigration Service has arrested 45 Chinese nationals who were found trading illegally at the Kanti Kwari textile market in Kano
A breakdown shows that 34 men of the illegal traders are men while the remaining 11 are women.
The state comptroller of immigration, Emmanuel Ifeadi, who confirmed the arrest described the foreigners as scavengers.
“The Chinese expatriates were found to be scavenging in the market, which is hurting the nation’s economy,” he said.
Local textile retail traders have lamented over the years, because of the activities of the Chinese nationals.
The immigration official, acting on various complaints from traders, decided to rid the markets in Kano and Lagos of people he called “economic saboteurs”.
Ifeadi said the same drill would apply to other foreign nationalities found trading illegally.
He said foreigners who came to Nigeria to invest and create employment legally would be “welcomed and supported by the federal government.”
In a related incident , the Lagos command of the Nigerian Immigration Service yesterday paraded no fewer than twenty five (25) suspected illegal Chinese nationals before news men yesterday.
They were on Wednesday arrested during a routine raid by officers of NIS.
Some of them were said to be in Nigeria with a visiting visas but refused to leave after their expiration of their visas while some may still have valid visa.
The spokesman for the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) stated in his speech that those found with valid documents will be set-free to go on their legitimate business while the illegal immigrants among them will be repatriated.