It has been stated that Nigerians travelling to some countries will, henceforth, need NDLEA clearance.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) said the visa clearance requirement policy is only applicable for eight countries.
The agency was reacting to reports that it introduced a levy as visa clearance requirement for Nigerians travelling outside the country.
In a statement, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, said the policy is not new and has been in existence for 24 years.
He added that the requirement is only applicable to people travelling to eight countries, and is part of efforts to address drug trafficking.
Babafemi hinted that the policy does not apply to all Nigerians seeking to travel overseas, but only those travelling to eight countries, usually referred to as source countries.
He further explained that the policy is at the behest of the ‘source countries’, and not that of the NDLEA or Nigeria, and it is designed as part of global efforts to fight the menace of drug trafficking.
He assured Nigerians that NDLEA remains committed to its core goal of ridding Nigeria of illicit drugs and will not deviate from its constitutionally assigned duties.
The agency listed the countries as follows:
Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Brazil, Pakistan, Philippines and
Russia.