ISIS Visa Saga: Ambassador Faces Recall

The Nigerian Ambassador to Lebanon, Amos
Oluwole Idowu, senior officers of the embassy
and some personnel of Nigeria Immigration
Service might face stiffer sanctions for issuing a
visa to a Lebanese terrorist, Ahmed Al Assir.
It was learnt that the NIS visa officers and other
officials involved in the visa roll would be
summoned to the country to explain their roles in
issuing a visa to the terrorist, The Punch reports.
Assir was arrested at the Beirut airport while on his
way to Nigeria via Cairo, Egypt.
The ambassador who is the highest officer in an
embassy and charged with overall affairs of the
mission is expected to be privy to the approval and
rejection of visa applications carried out by consular
officers.
READ ALSO: Immigration Officers Panic Over Visa
Saga
The Federal Government had reportedly directed
security agencies to investigate the lapses that
enabled Assir to obtain a Nigerian visa.
It was learnt that the planned summoning of the
officers was part of the investigation ordered by the
Federal Government.
However, Nigerian embassy in Lebanon had
reportedly denied issuing the visa to fugitive stating
that Assir used fake visa in attempting to gain
entrance.
This explanation by the embassy however was said
not to be convincing enough to the federal
government.
According to a source: "The government is not
convinced by the explanation tendered by the
embassy in Lebanon and that is why the security
agencies had been directed to investigate the
security lapses at the embassy; as it is, all the
ranking officials would be summoned to explain
their roles and defend their actions."
A probe panel headed by the permanent secretary
in Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bulus Lolo, had
started questioning the affected officers in the
ministry.
It was said that Assir who is originally from
Palestine, had to undergo a surgery to alter his
appearance to hide his true identity from security
operatives.
He was linked to the death of 17 Lebanese soldiers
and had been sentenced to death by a court in 2013.
READ ALSO: Top 10 Most Notable Facts About 'ISIS
Leader' Ahmad Al-Assir
The wanted terrorist had been reportedly using
different aliases to evade arrest and that his current
pseudonym was not on the watch list of the
Lebanese security forces.
Assir had been using the fake name, Rami Abdul
Rahman Taleb, to evade detection by security
agencies in Lebanon until his arrest.
However, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Ogbole Ahmedu-Ode said there was no
update on the probe.
Meanwhile, Nigerians have condemned the
attempted made by the terrorist to gain entry into
the country.