How Embassy Officials Extort Money from Visa Applicants
DESPITE the efforts to make procurement of visas and other travelling documents by Nigerians stress-free, foreign embassy officials in the country are still extorting huge sums of money from visa applicants, who each day part with between N2,000 and N7,000 out side the officials fees.
Visits to some of the foreign embassies at the Walter Carrington Street, last week, by BusinessWorld reporter, revealed that officials of these embassies including security personnel and front desk officers, literally force visa applicants to pay money before they could be issued with certain documents or receive attention.
The skillful ones among these officials use their make-shift business centres scattered around Walter Carrington Street to carry out these unwholesome activities. BusinessWorld gathered that most of the touts that harass visa applicants around the place are fronts for these embassy officials.
The embassies visited included those of United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Germany, Italian, Netherlands, Sweden and Russia, where visa applicants had already lined up as early as 5am in front of these embassies.
It was gathered that since embassy officials are the ones who distribute the documents, it is easier for them to decide the applicants who get and those who do not get attention, a situation lamented by some of the visa applicants, who said they were forced to part with N5,000 that Thursday morning by a member of the security personnel for a certain form that would accompany their applications. This form was obviously not for sale.
BusinessWorld reporter observed on Thursday that touts still sell visa forms for N2,000. A lady claimed that she had been able to obtain an appointment and that she eventually got her visa approval after payment of N24, 000.
Visits to some of the foreign embassies at the Walter Carrington Street, last week, by BusinessWorld reporter, revealed that officials of these embassies including security personnel and front desk officers, literally force visa applicants to pay money before they could be issued with certain documents or receive attention.
The skillful ones among these officials use their make-shift business centres scattered around Walter Carrington Street to carry out these unwholesome activities. BusinessWorld gathered that most of the touts that harass visa applicants around the place are fronts for these embassy officials.
The embassies visited included those of United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Germany, Italian, Netherlands, Sweden and Russia, where visa applicants had already lined up as early as 5am in front of these embassies.
It was gathered that since embassy officials are the ones who distribute the documents, it is easier for them to decide the applicants who get and those who do not get attention, a situation lamented by some of the visa applicants, who said they were forced to part with N5,000 that Thursday morning by a member of the security personnel for a certain form that would accompany their applications. This form was obviously not for sale.
BusinessWorld reporter observed on Thursday that touts still sell visa forms for N2,000. A lady claimed that she had been able to obtain an appointment and that she eventually got her visa approval after payment of N24, 000.
