Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has revealed that over 848,000 foreign nationals are presently residing in the country beyond the expiry of their visas and the government now has the tools to track every single one of them.
Tunji-Ojo made the disclosure during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday 31st March, 2026 saying the figure was obtained through the country’s recently upgraded immigration tracking system.
“Just as we have Nigerian overstayers in the UK, Nigeria is also facing the same challenge. As of this morning, through our upgraded system, we have about 848,290 visa overstayers in Nigeria. These are citizens of different countries residing in Nigeria,” he said.
The minister described the situation as a significant migration challenge, adding that it is not unique to Nigeria.
He stressed that addressing visa overstays would help curb crimes such as human trafficking and smuggling, and said Nigeria is working to strengthen bilateral cooperation with other countries to ensure the dignified return of individuals without legal residency status.
The figures come on the back of a broader immigration overhaul. The Nigeria Immigration Service now operates an Integrated Operations Centre which is an AI-driven, multilayered system that strengthens border and migration management, including the tracking of visa overstayers.
Through the system, the government can access records of everyone who has entered Nigeria in the last 10 years including those who have violated their visa conditions. The minister had earlier in March warned that authorities would “go after” defaulters.
Tunji-Ojo’s comments came in the same sitting where he addressed public concerns over Nigeria’s recently renewed migration agreement with the United Kingdom. He described the Nigeria-UK deal as a framework for cooperation based strictly on reciprocity and national interest, and dismissed claims that Nigeria could be compelled to accept foreign prisoners, calling such reports “misinformation.”
