Chinese workers’ detention: Foundation seeks Tinubu, Interior Minister, NASS, others intervention

A non-governmental humanitarian organization, has raised alarm over what it describes as the unlawful arrest and continued detention of five Chinese workers by operatives of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

The NGO, Conscience Foundation (CF) condemned the development, urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Minister of Interior, the National Assembly, and other relevant oversight bodies to urgently intervene in order to halt what it termed an abuse of power.

Executive Director of the Foundation, Bunmi Oyekanmi, in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, said the affected workers (Zhang Damou, Qian Jin, Lin Jianfeng, Tang Pan, and Guo Zhengheng) have been in Nigeria in full compliance with the country’s immigration laws but are now being subjected to harassment, intimidation, and unlawful detention.

He noted that on August 12, 2025, heavily armed immigration officers, accompanied by mobile policemen and soldiers, stormed the company’s factory located along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, cordoned off the road leading to the facility, and barricaded the gate to prevent movement in and out of the premises.

According to Oyekanmi, the officers who introduced themselves as Ken and Felix presented a letter of introduction dated August 11 and demanded to see the workers. Despite being granted full cooperation and access to all requested documents, the officers insisted on arresting the five Chinese workers after they were informed that the Managing Director, who held additional documents in his office, was away in Abuja on a business trip.

The workers pleaded for time to produce the remaining documents, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. Instead, their phones and documents were seized, and they were whisked away to Abuja, where they remain detained at the NIS head office in Sauka along Airport Road, he revealed.

The Foundation further disclosed that the detained workers were later accused of working with only a Temporary Working Permit, even though they clarified that they were holders of Permanent Resident Permits, with one of them having just arrived in Nigeria a week before the arrest.

Oyekanmi stressed that it was particularly worrisome that the clampdown came despite the Immigration Services amnesty window announced on July 28, 2025, allowing overstayers to regularize their immigration status. She added that beyond the arrest, NIS operatives had laid siege to the company premises, disrupting operations, instilling fear among Nigerian staff, and threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of families.

This represents an abuse of power, a violation of human rights, and a direct affront to the principles of fairness, justice, and the rule of law, the Executive Director asserted. She maintained that the targeting of foreign investors and business leaders under the guise of immigration enforcement sends the wrong signal to the international community and undermines Nigerias reputation as a hospitable destination for investment.

Oyekanmi stressed that Nigeria must remain a country governed by laws, not arbitrary actions. She urged authorities to prioritize diplomacy and cooperation over detention, pointing out the potential economic and diplomatic implications of such actions. By releasing the detained Chinese workers or providing them with due process, the NIS can demonstrate its commitment to fairness and justice while upholding Nigerias laws and international reputation, he said.

The Foundation therefore appealed for swift intervention by President Tinubu, the Interior Minister, and the National Assembly, noting that Nigerias image as a land of opportunity and partnership should not be undermined by heavy-handed tactics. Nigeria cannot afford to compromise the rule of law. Protecting the rights of all individuals; citizens and migrants alike  is not only a legal obligation but also a moral duty, Oyekanmi concluded.

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