The Nigerian Government has strongly condemned the shooting of an Immigration officer by a Chinese businessman in Minna, Niger State, calling the incident unacceptable.
Expressing outrage over the attack, the government described it as a blatant affront to Nigeria, especially as the officer was simply performing his routine duty of verifying work permits for expatriate employees of the Chinese company.
“We are going to take this matter up with the Chinese government. An Immigration officer on routine duty visited a Chinese company and asked standard questions about work permits, only for the Chinese businessman involved to order his security detail to shoot the officer— and the security detail did so.
“This is unacceptable. We are going to go tough on that businessman and the Chinese authorities,” stated the Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in Abuja on Thursday.
The Minister made this declaration at a stakeholders’ sensitisation workshop on the implementation of the Nigeria Visa Policy (NVP) 2025, held at the Continental Hotel, Abuja.
According to Tunji-Ojo, the incident amounts to an attack on Nigeria itself. He stressed, “It will never happen in China for a Nigerian businessman to order the shooting of a Chinese Immigration officer. This will not be tolerated here in Nigeria.”
He further explained that the Immigration officer had visited the Chinese company in Minna to verify the company’s list of expatriates when the owner allegedly directed a security officer on the premises to shoot him.
“I won’t go to China as a Nigerian, open a company, and tell my security to shoot a government official in uniform. It’s never done anywhere in the world,” Tunji-Ojo remarked.
“These officers put their lives on the line. They serve this country with their all. And you will not come from anywhere and order them to be shot in their fatherland.
“It will no longer happen. We will take it up with you. Because that company— we (the Nigerian government) have the power to withdraw their business in Nigeria and declare them illegal,” the Minister warned.
