The United Arab Emirates Immigration authorities have declared a visa ban on Nigerians, stating that all applications will be rejected, and costs will be non-refundable. According to reports, the notification was made on Friday in a notice sent to its Nigerian trading partners, including travel agents. Although no justification was given for the suspension, Dubai officials stated that all applications would be held until concerns between the UAE government and the Nigerian government were handled.
According to the most recent ruling, applies to all Nigerians wishing to travel to the UAE. “All Dubai applications submitted are now rejected. It is general for Nigerians and approvals are on hold at the moment.”Dubai authority continued “Kindly urge your clients to re-submit C2=A0 applications when the issue is resolved between both governments,” the notice to Nigerian travel agents stated.
There is no information on when the probation will be lifted.
Nigeria’s Immigration Department did not specify when the prohibition will be lifted, but for the time being, everything is on pause. Speaking with an Air Peace customer service worker, it was learned that the airline is still flying to Dubai with passengers who already have a valid visa. The official stated that if any modifications occurred regarding flights for Nigerians, they would be told, and that no issues had been noted at this time.
In August of this year, the Government recommended Nigerians planning to visit the UAE to follow the country’s new visa regime. This was revealed in a statement by Francisca Omayuli, spokesperson for the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The general public is invited to note and be guided that the government of the UAE has adopted a new visa regime and has stopped awarding tourist visas to anyone under the age of 40 years, except for those asking for family visas.
Nigerian lady jailed in Dubai for filming maltreatment.
Dinchi Lar’s family has stated that she was sentenced to one year in prison in the United Arab Emirates for exposing the mistreatment of Nigerians at Dubai airports. They declared this at a rally in Abuja on Sunday after Dubai officials sentenced her to a year in prison. Lar took to Twitter on August 31 to publish photographs and videos of herself and other passengers she described as Nigerians being detained at Dubai International Airport.
“I am in the Dubai international airport, myself and some other Nigerians with legitimate visas are being held in a room hours after our arrival, with no explanation and no information on what we can do,” she wrote please assist me there are over 20 of us. Lar accused the airport authorities of humiliating Nigerians in a series of subsequent posts. Her family announced on Saturday, in a post by one @jerrydoubles, that she had been sentenced for exposing the mistreatment of Nigerians in Dubai.
Victim must serve one year in prison or pay a fine.
According to reports, some family members and friends protested her sentencing on Sunday, claiming she had been detained in Dubai since September 6. According to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission’s Head of Media, Public Relations, and Protocols Unit, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Lar was convicted under UAE cybercrime law. Under UAE cybercrime law, recording a video or photograph of someone without his/her agreement and uploading such on social media is an infraction punishable by a one-year jail sentence or a fine between about $69,000 and $137,000, or both jail term and fine.
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