Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have arrested three Chinese nationals found living opposite a large illegal refinery in Ogere-Remo, Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State, over alleged immigration violations.
The foreigners were apprehended on Wednesday, November 4, during a joint enforcement operation involving the EFCC and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) at the illegal refining facility.
During the operation, NMDPRA officials shut down the refinery after discovering underground storage tanks allegedly used for heating and processing sludge oil, a waste product from refining, alongside substances suspected to be Automotive Gas Oil (AGO), commonly known as diesel.
The facility, which occupies more than three hectares of land, reportedly had an extensive underground storage system with a capacity exceeding 90,000 litres. Other installations discovered included underground heating equipment, water hydrants for cooling, locally fabricated tanks and silos used for separating petroleum products.
The three Chinese nationals were found in a heavily secured building directly opposite the refinery. The premises was reportedly guarded by armed operatives, with access to the property restricted.
When EFCC officials demanded their immigration and residency documents, the foreigners reportedly presented only their Chinese passports bearing entry stamps issued by the Nigerian Immigration Service.
An examination of the passports showed that they entered Nigeria through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on May 9, 2026, with a handwritten authorisation permitting them to stay for 30 days.
The visitors’ permits, therefore, expired on June 8, 2026. However, as of their arrest on November 4, they had allegedly remained in the country for nearly five months beyond the authorised period without any visible residence permit, work permit or Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card (CERPAC).
EFCC operatives subsequently took the three foreigners into custody for further investigation.
An official of the anti-graft agency who participated in the operation reportedly questioned how the Chinese nationals obtained entry stamps without corresponding visas and continued living and working in Nigeria long after their authorised stay had expired.
The official said: “No visa but you have immigration stamp. How is that possible? And they are living in our country and working. Look at it. No visa but you have immigration stamp.”
The arrest has further heightened concerns over the growing activities of foreign nationals allegedly involved in illegal industrial operations in Ogun State, particularly around the Ogere-Remo axis.
The development comes barely two weeks after the EFCC arrested 14 Chinese nationals and one Nigerian during raids on four illegal lithium processing facilities in the same area.
Items recovered during that operation included bags of lithium-bearing rocks, 18 mobile phones, four laptop computers, two decoders, a television remote control and a trailer truck.
