A major corruption scandal is brewing within the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) as investigative reports reveal that ₦83,284,887.32 was paid to a private contractor for the construction of staff quarters that do not exist.
Despite official records claiming the project is underway, the designated site at the Immigration Training School in Orlu remains an untouched expanse of weeds.
The Paper Trail vs. Reality
According to federal financial records sourced from Govspend, the sum of ₦83,284,887.32 was approved and fully disbursed to Kiya Construction & Properties Ltd in October 2024. The payment was specifically earmarked for the construction of a two-storey block of 18 flats intended to house officers at the training facility.
However, a physical verification exercise conducted by the Tracka monitoring team in March 2026 exposed a massive discrepancy. Investigators found no construction materials, no foundation, and no sign of any engineering activity on the land.
“The only activity ever carried out here was a survey conducted about two years ago,” a staff member at the training school disclosed on the condition of anonymity. “Since then, not a single brick has been laid, and no contractor has sighted the area.”
Institutional Decay and Insecurity
The ghost project is only one part of a larger pattern of neglect at the Orlu facility. While millions are being funneled into new, non-existent buildings, the existing infrastructure is currently rotting. Observation of the premises revealed that staff quarters built only a few years ago are already deteriorating and vandalized, with overgrown vegetation swallowing the structures.
Adding to the controversy, staff members revealed that the training school has been largely non-operational for nearly five years. This hiatus is attributed to the prevailing insecurity in the region, raising urgent questions about why the government would prioritize and pay for new residential blocks at a facility that is currently dormant.
Calls for Anti-Graft Intervention
The disappearance of over ₦83 million in public funds has sparked outrage among transparency advocates, who are now demanding immediate accountability from the Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and the leadership of the Nigeria Immigration Service.
“Public funds cannot continue to disappear while critical infrastructure exists only on paper,” a spokesperson for the monitoring group stated.
The report officially calls on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to launch a full-scale investigation into Kiya Construction & Properties Ltd and the officials who authorized the payment. Nigerians are demanding to know how a project could be fully funded and “completed” on paper while the actual site remains a forest.
Share this
