The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has begun a nationwide operation targeting foreign nationals who have overstayed their visas or violated entry conditions, following the expiration of a three-month amnesty granted by the Federal Government.
The amnesty, which ran from 5 July to 30 September, offered foreigners with irregular immigration status the chance to regularise their stay without facing penalties. With that window now closed, immigration officers will begin enforcement measures across the country.
“Effective 1 October, enforcement actions will commence nationwide against foreign nationals who have overstayed their visa or violated their entry conditions,” NIS spokesperson Akinsola Akinlabi said in a statement on Wednesday.
The clampdown will cover those with expired visas on arrival, lapsed single or multiple-entry visit and business visas, as well as holders of expired Comprehensive Expatriate Residence Permits. Penalties range from deportation to daily fines and long-term entry bans: overstays of less than three months could attract deportation, a $15 daily fine or a two-year ban, while breaches of up to a year risk removal, fines, or a five-year ban. Those remaining in Nigeria illegally for more than a year could face deportation and a 10-year or permanent ban.
Officials said the measures were designed to bolster national security and ensure stricter compliance with immigration rules. Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo had previously urged diplomats to warn their citizens to take advantage of the amnesty, stressing that Nigeria’s immigration laws “are not meant to be abused but respected.”
The crackdown is part of a broader reform programme introduced in April, which included the $15 daily surcharge for overstays. A temporary moratorium was offered to encourage compliance, but authorities have now signalled zero tolerance for violations going forward.
