The Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, has recovered 106 Permanent Voter Cards, PVC, from foreigners residing in Kwara State.

Comptroller of NIS in the state, Mr Aminu Shamsuddin, revealed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Monday.

Shamsuddin said that some foreigners were caught in possession of Nigerian PVC during the regular patrol by Immigration officers within the Ilorin metropolis.

He said that NIS had sensitised all foreigners on the rules and regulations surrounding elections and invited them to educate them on the punishment that awaits violators.

He said: “During one of the sensitisation talks, the foreigners were scared to hear that anybody caught participating in any way during Nigeria elections would be jailed, repatriated and blacklisted.

“Some of the foreigners who had Nigerian PVCs willingly dropped their cards and travelled back to their various countries, to return after the whole election exercise.

According to him: “Most of the people involved in the act were youths, both males and females, from Niger Republic, Benin Republic and Ghana.

“They claimed that their landlords in their various residences encouraged them to get the PVCs and vote during the election, so as to increase the number of votes for their various candidates.”

The comptroller warned that any foreigner caught in possession of PVC would be jailed, repatriated and blacklisted, meaning that such persons will not be allowed into Nigeria again.

NAN