Vice President Ahmed Afif of Seychelles has confirmed that the country will impose extensive restrictions on Nigerians traveling to Seychelles.
According to Seychelles News Agency, Mr. Afif stated that Seychelles immigration authorities have been instructed to allow Nigerians with diplomatic passports and residential permits to enter the country.
However, tourists and new immigrants from Nigeria will be indefinitely banned due to concerns about criminal activities, particularly drug trafficking and online fraud syndicates, allegedly linked to Nigerians.
Mr. Afif cited several incidents involving Nigerians, including 13 arrests of individuals carrying drugs into Seychelles over the past two weeks.
He also mentioned a case where 62 Nigerians claiming to be on holiday used false credit cards, resulting in financial losses for establishments in the country.
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These incidents have raised concerns and prompted the decision to impose restrictions.
This announcement follows social media controversies where some Nigerians claimed they were denied visas to Seychelles for unexplained reasons.
Nigeria has faced visa bans from other countries recently, such as the United Arab Emirates, which included Nigeria on a list of 17 African nations facing travel restrictions.
The perception of Nigeria’s involvement in drug trafficking has persisted for several decades, and it gained renewed attention when Bola Tinubu was elected as Nigeria’s president.
Mr. Tinubu, 71, faced accusations of drug use and money laundering in the United States during the 1990s.
He was ordered by a federal judge in Chicago to forfeit approximately $460,000, as the funds were traced back to drug dealing.
Despite not explicitly denying the allegations, Mr. Tinubu evaded related questions until his successful election in February 2023.
It remains unclear whether Seychelles authorities considered Mr. Tinubu’s past involvement in the drug business when implementing the restrictions on Nigerians.
Mr. Afif clarified that Seychelles does not hold any inherent issues with Nigeria or its people.
However, the country is concerned about the recent surge in criminal activities associated with Nigerians.
He acknowledged other instances of online scams originating from Nigeria and noted that individuals involved in such scams have also been traveling to Seychelles.
The Nigerian foreign ministry has not yet provided a comment, but Seychelles media reported that a meeting between the Seychellois foreign minister, Sylvestre Radegonde, and the Nigerian ambassador has been scheduled to address the matter
