Five Chinese Nationals Detained By Nigerian Immigration Over Alleged Business Dispute, Work Without Valid Papers, Permits

Five Chinese nationals have been languishing in the custody of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Abuja for nearly a week amid allegations of bribery, ethnic bias, and misuse of state power, SaharaReporters has learnt.

The workers were first arrested on August 12, 2025, and moved to the NIS headquarters at Sauka, along Airport Road, Abuja, where they remain in a holding facility.

SaharaReporters learnt that the names of the five Chinese workers detained by the NIS are Zhang Damou, Qian Jin, Lin Jianfeng, TangPan, and Guo Zhengheng.

A source familiar with the situation told SaharaReporters that the arrests were not solely related to immigration violations but stemmed from a bitter business dispute involving the Chinese company Dongfeng and senior Nigerian Immigration officials, who were allegedly influenced by bribes.

Another source from the Chinese community in Nigeria stated that the arrests of his compatriots were directly linked to a petition submitted by Dongfeng.

“Dongfeng is fighting them because he sees them as his business rivals. They have been in detention since August 12, and every attempt to secure their release has failed. It looks as if Nigerian Immigration is working for Dongfeng in this case,” one of the sources said.

“Dongfeng used the company to petition them and must have bribed Immigration officials,” the source alleged.

The source specifically accused Mrs. Azuka Halliday, a Deputy Comptroller General at Immigration Headquarters, Abuja, of being compromised.

“The DCG of Immigration, Mrs. Azuka Halliday, has been compromised by Dongfeng. Even if these Chinese people were operating in Nigeria illegally, if they breached immigration laws, they could regularise it. There are penalties for it, and there are fines they can pay,” a source said.

“But because somebody paid them (the immigration), they even told me at the Immigration headquarters that the person who petitioned them is high up. Somebody, a Chinese man as well, paid them and wrote the petition against his fellow citizens.”

The insider further raised concerns about the NIS going beyond its statutory duties.

“I don’t know when Immigration has become police. How can they keep detaining them since Monday? Tomorrow will make it one week at Immigration Headquarters,” the source lamented.

SaharaReporters learned that Chinese workers were accused of working with a Temporary Work Permit (TWP).

However, the workers insisted they possessed Permanent Residence Permits, while one of them had only just arrived in Nigeria a week before his arrest.

The workers also pointed to the fact that the NIS had announced an amnesty window on July 28, 2025, allowing overstayers and undocumented workers to regularise their immigration status.

However, they claimed that despite this policy, the detained Chinese workers continue to face threats of deportation and the forced closure of their factory, even before any investigation or legal proceedings have been concluded.

SaharaReporters made multiple attempts to contact Mrs. Azuka Halliday, but her calls and text messages went unanswered.

When contacted, the Immigration spokesman Akinsola Akinlabi said: “All those allegations, I can tell you, are false. If you see us arresting any foreigners, you should know they have done something wrong.

“It is in our mission to ensure more foreign investment in the country.”

Also, a senior NIS official, who said he was familiar with the matter, insisted that security operatives lawfully arrested the five Chinese nationals for working in Nigeria without valid immigration documents.

“The truth about the issue is that these people are criminals, and that was why Immigration officials arrested them. There is nothing like targeting or that someone is behind it,” the top Immigration source said.

“These people are in Nigeria without any valid documents. They are carrying out businesses without any permits.”

The source continued: “On the amnesty, many people did not understand how it works. The amnesty is for foreigners already in Nigeria but could not revalidate their papers because of one issue or another.

“It is not for illegal immigrants like these suspects. And NIS asked those who want amnesty to apply through our website, but do you know that none of them applied? What this signifies is that they don’t care, and they thought they could work in Nigeria without any valid documentation. When there is no documentation, they can carry out illegal acts and crimes without any traces.