Osun Election: Immigration Officers Accuse NIS Of Withholding N120m Special Duty Allowance

Some officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) deployed for the recently concluded Osun State governorship election have accused the Service of withholding their special duty allowances, despite claims that about N120 million earmarked for the election operation had been released.

A source within the NIS told Street News Reporters on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, that officers deployed across Osun State were yet to receive payments for their participation in the August 15 governorship election.

According to the source, about N120 million was allegedly paid into the NIS account by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the deployment, while another claim indicated that funds were also provided by the Osun State Government.

The source alleged that despite the availability of funds, officers who participated in the election had not received their allowances weeks after completing their assignments.

The delay has reportedly left some personnel struggling to cover expenses incurred during the deployment. The source claimed that some officers had to borrow money to pay for transportation and other costs associated with travelling to their assigned locations.

“I also learnt that the money was paid to the immigration in Osun by the Governor, and the headquarters in Abuja also refused to pay them,” the source said.

“It was said that some officers borrowed money to enable them to go to their deployment area.”

The source further alleged that both the Osun State Command and the NIS headquarters in Abuja had failed to resolve the matter despite the conclusion of the electoral assignment.

“Officers are grumbling as both the state command and headquarters in Abuja refuse to pay the officers deployed for the election up to date. It was revealed that INEC paid the money into the immigration account,” the source told Street News Reporters.

The allegations have raised concerns among personnel over the management and disbursement of funds reportedly released for the election operation.

However, the NIS spokesperson in Osun State, DSI Abiola Anjorin, confirmed that payment to personnel deployed for the election was still being processed, while dismissing suggestions that the delay was peculiar to the Immigration Service.

“This is not peculiar to NIS officials alone; other agencies too have similar issues; hence, it’s a process, and with the information received, they are going to be paid very soon as Service Headquarters is working on it,” Anjorin told Street News Reporters.

The development comes amid broader concerns over delays in the payment of allowances to security and election personnel deployed for electoral assignments, particularly officers required to travel and incur expenses before and during their operations.

The allegations by NIS personnel also come shortly after Street News Reporters reported similar complaints from personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) deployed for the same Osun governorship election.

The NSCDC personnel reportedly complained that they had completed their assignments but were yet to receive their special duty allowances, with the delay creating financial difficulties for officers who had incurred transportation and other expenses during the deployment.

The similar complaints from NIS and NSCDC personnel suggest that the delay may extend beyond a single security agency and could point to a wider issue concerning the processing and payment of allowances for personnel deployed for the Osun election.

For the affected officers, the delays have reportedly left some personnel out of pocket weeks after completing their duties, while questions remain over the disbursement of funds allegedly earmarked for the electoral operation.