The Nigerian Government has expressed its readiness to partner with the Indian Government on the eradication of fake Nigerian passports into India.Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Mr Rauf Aregbesola said in a statement on Sunday in Abuja that Nigeria would ever remain grateful to the Government and people of India for her support to Nigeria during the country’s anti-colonial struggle that led to independence.

Aregbesola pledged Nigeria’s full cooperation with India through its Immigration Service to put a stop to the activities of unscrupulous persons and syndicates engaging in fraudulent procurement of fake official Nigerian travelling documents to enter India illegally.

Speaking when he received the Indian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr Gangadharan Balasubramanian, in Abuja, the minister called for closer collaboration between both governments through the provision of useful information and intelligence reports that would assist in unmasking those involved to get them arrested to face the full weight of the law.

On some arrested mariners caught on a ship, accused of illegal activity, the minister said that the Nigerian government would prefer that the judicial process should run its course.

He said that the Nigerian government frowned at all illegalities and would not condone procurement of fake visas by individuals to gain false entry into another country.

In his remarks, the high commissioner, who commended the cordial relationship existing between both countries, promised to explore more areas of co-operation that would further strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

He added that already, seven agencies of government, including the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), were currently undergoing relevant courses in India as demonstration of partnership support to Nigeria.