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LAGOS, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Operatives of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Thursday arrested over 3,000 suspected illegal foreign immigrants in Lagos, the nation's economic hub, in several raids, an NIS source said.
The early morning raids saw about 40 heavily armed officers combing motor parks, kiosks, hotels and some relaxation centers known to be frequented by the foreigners.
During the raids, the NIS officers shot intermittently into the air as some immigrants took to their heels in the midst of the pandemonium.
Many of the arrested aliens were from countries such as Ghana, Benin Republic, Niger, Mali, Cote d'Ivoire and Togo.
An immigration source told Xinhua that the arrests of the suspected illegal aliens must have been sparked off by growing speculations that majority of the illegal aliens might actually be members of the outlawed Boko Haram sect.
The source said the arrested aliens would be thoroughly and methodically screened and those who have valid papers would be released while others would be deported. Enditem
