Edo employs Immigration tragedy victims

Edo State governor, Adams Oshiomhole, has given automatic employment to 20 victims of the last Nige­rian Immigration Service (NIS) recruitment tragedy of March 15, 2014, and also gave the sum of N2 million to the widower and children of the late Mrs. Sandra Amu who died in the commotion.


This is coming almost a year after the Federal Government promised automatic employ­ment to those injured in the exercise and three employment slots to families of those who lost their loved ones in the re­cruitment fiasco.

Disclosing the employment offer during a meeting with the family of the woman who lost her life and eleven of the 20 persons who sustained injuries during the ill-fated recruitment held at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin City on Satur­day, March 15, 2014, Oshiom­hole said, “It is unlawful for people seeking employment to pay money. It is the employer who pays the consultant and not the applicant. That transac­tion was mainly illegal collec­tion and it is extortion.

“I think it is important that people don’t exploit office power to compound the prob­lem of those who are already down. What we can, without prejudice to whatever plans the Immigration Services or the Ministry of Internal Affairs is making, is to see how we can assist in terms of employment.

“The government will also provide the family of the de­ceased with legal representa­tion so as to sue the Immigra­tion authorities for the loss of life. Each time people are reckless with human lives and they go home and sleep, it is why we talk about the culture of impunity, where people can do anything and go free.”

He continued: “We are also going to offer the graduates employment opportunities in our Information Communi­cation Technology Agency if they are interested in that. In that case, you need to take their documents and they start work by Monday. However, if the Immigration option opens up, you are at liberty to move from one job to another”, he said.

Earlier, Coordinator of the group, Mr. Edmond Osuma had told the governor of their challenges since the Immigra­tion recruitment exercise of March 14 2014 that since the incident happened it has been a serious problem getting in contact with the Controller of Immigration.

He solicited the assistance of the governor to enable the group see the immigration au­thorities and requested the gov­ernor’s magnanimity to allevi­ate the hardship of the victims.

The victims told the gov­ernor that while they paid one thousand naira each, online, be­fore going for the recruitment, they are yet to get a refund one year after the tragedy.

Sun