Buhari fires Abeshi, appoints Babandede Acting Immigration boss

  Fidelis Chidi blog can authoritatively report that a former Deputy Comptroller General, DCG, of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Mohammed Babandede has emerged as the Acting Comptroller General of Immigration.


This followed the sack of the former Immigration boss, Martin Abeshi, who was appointed into the position by President Muhammadu Buhari last September.
The removal of Abeshi was contained in a letter obtained by DAILY POST, which was signed by the Minister of Interior, Lt-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (rtd) on Tuesday, May 17, 2016, entitled: ‘notification of retirement’. It directed Abeshi to immediately handover to Babandede.

The letter, which was acknowledged by the affected Comptroller General on Wednesday, May 18, 2016, partly read; “I write to notify that the last day of your service in the Nigeria Immigration Service has lapsed on Sunday, 15 May 2016 in accordance with the extension granted you vide PRES/92/INTR/7 dated 4 March 2016. Consequently, you are to handover to DCG Mohammed Babandede (NIS/4817) as the Acting Comptroller General of Immigration effective immediately.”
Babandede hails from Jigawa State and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in History/Islamic Studies before proceeding to the Ahmadu Bello University, ABU Zaria where he obtained a Masters degree in Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice.
Before now, he was the DCG, Operations & Passports, a position he attained in January 2014. Between December 2012 to January 2014; he served as ACG Passport at the Immigration headquarters and had been representing the NIS at the National Hajj Commission since 2013. He received an award of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, MFR, in 2014.