'£1m Fraud' - Seychelles explains visa ban on Nigerian passport holders

The Seychelles government has provided clarification on its decision to impose a ban on Nigerian passport holders seeking to visit the country for tourism purposes.

Previously, Nigeria had a longstanding visa-free arrangement with Seychelles, enabling its citizens to enter the country without a visa for a maximum duration of 30 days.

Seychelles News Agency reported that Ahmed Afif, the vice-president of Seychelles, stated that the ban was implemented due to a rise in dr*g trafficking and fraudulent activities involving Nigerian individuals.

He elaborated that over the past year, particularly in recent months, the government has witnessed a concerning trend characterized by criminal activities within the country, posing risks to border control and the economy.

Afif said: We have seen a clear link between this with certain people from Nigeria. In the past two weeks, for example, 13 people coming from Nigeria have been arrested when entering Seychelles because they were carrying dr*gs into the country.

Afif said: We have seen a clear link between this with certain people from Nigeria. In the past two weeks, for example, 13 people coming from Nigeria have been arrested when entering Seychelles because they were carrying dr*gs into the country.

He also highlighted that there have been additional incidents involving financial institutions, including a case where Nigerians were implicated in a fraud resulting in a loss of £1 million. There are other online scams originating from Nigeria.

We have seen that these people are also coming to Seychelles and doing those scams. While emphasizing that there is no issue with Nigeria or its people, Afif stated that Seychelles does not tolerate such criminal activities within its borders.

However, he clarified that Nigerians holding diplomatic passports or possessing valid work or resident permits issued by the island nation would still be permitted to visit.

According to Henley & Partners, a global citizenship and residency advisory firm, the latest passport rankings encompass approximately 199 passports and provide access to 277 different travel destinations.

The most powerful passport, granting visa-free entry to 193 countries, belongs to Japan. Singapore, South Korea, Germany, and Spain follow closely, Legit.ng reported