Nigerians beg to be declared wanted to apply for asylum — Police

Benjamin Hundeyin


The Lagos State Police Command has revealed that some desperate Nigerians asked the Police to declare them wanted so they can apply for asylum abroad.

The spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, made this revelation in a statement via his X handle on Saturday.



Hundeyin said he was stupefied when a Nigerian asked that the Police declare him wanted. This was so that he could apply for asylum.

He stated: “‘Please, declare me wanted!’ I was stupefied. I blinked and looked at him again. ‘What did you say,’ I asked.

“’Please, I want you to declare me wanted,’ he repeated.

“’Why do you want to be declared wanted,’ I inquired, amused.

“’Actually, I am applying for asylum at xyz embassy. During the interview, I told them that I was being persecuted to the point of being declared wanted by the Police.

“’They now asked for evidence of the ‘wanted’ declaration. I can easily do the artwork but I know they will come and verify.


“‘That is why I want it from the source’,” Hundeyin wrote.


Recall that the International Organisation for Migration, IOM, had in December 2023 said no fewer than 260,000 Nigerians approached the IOM for assistance to leave the country in 2023.

The current rise in migration and asylum seeking may not be unconnected with the living cost in the country.