The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Abia State Command, has launched a crackdown on foreign nationals posing as engineers without proper qualifications.
The agency says these individuals often parade themselves as professionals but turn out to be mechanics or artisans with no certified training.
The NIS said it is intensifying efforts to fish out these impostors in partnership with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).
During a courtesy visit by the Abia State Technical Committee of COREN, the State Comptroller of Immigration, S.U. Agba, revealed a disturbing pattern:
“We don’t close our eyes to quackery. Many expatriates claim to be engineers, doctors, or lawyers without any verifiable proof.
“During the 90-day regularization window, we vet their documents, and when they fail to meet the standard, we deport them.”
Agba said the service has already discovered several fake professionals during document checks. Some claimed to be engineers, but further investigations revealed otherwise.
He said the NIS doesn’t work in isolation. Its intelligence team regularly monitors foreign nationals with help from local authorities.
“We communicate findings to our Abuja headquarters for immediate repatriation,” he said. “We also maintain blacklists to block their return.”
READ ALSO: UK Bans Overseas Care Worker Visas in Sweeping Immigration Reset
COREN’s Abia team leader, Ejikeme Ihediwa, echoed the concerns. He said the surge in foreign impostors is a threat to public safety, as unregistered individuals have no business handling critical infrastructure.
“Many of them do not possess the qualifications they claim. Some are mere mechanics, yet they take up critical roles in our infrastructure.”
Ihediwa stressed that engineering in Nigeria is not an open field for anyone local or foreign. He said COREN’s visit to the NIS was part of a wider effort to strengthen enforcement and draw clear lines around who can practice.
He also called for stronger collaboration and legal backing to prosecute those pretending to be certified engineers.
The message is clear: No certification, no practice. And for foreign impostors in Abia, the clock is ticking.