ONGOING investigations into how suspected Lebanese terrorist Sheikh Ahmed Al-Assir obtained a visa to visit Nigeria have revealed that he was invited by a Middle Eastern company operating in the country. 

Earlier this month, Sheikh Al-Assir was caught at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport as he tried to board a plane to Cairo enroute to Nigeria. On the run for the last two years, Sheikh Al-Assir was found carrying a forged Palestinian passport, in which he had a valid Nigerian visa. 

Embarrassed by the development, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered an immediate investigation into how a known and wanted terrorist managed to obtain a Nigerian visa. Diplomats, however, have indicated that Sheikh Al-Assir did not apply to the Nigerian embassy in Lebanon for a visa, adding that he must have forged the document. 

Sources within Nigerian security circles reveal, however, that the visa was issued by a foreign service official in Beirut based on the invitation, the sheikh received from a private company. They believe that the popular Middle-Eastern company operating within Nigeria was the originator of the invitation letter for the issuance of the visa. 

One source said allegations that a bribe of about $8,000 was paid by Sheikh Al-Assir to obtain the visa have not been confirmed. It was believed that the intelligence report of the plans of Sheikh Al-Assir to visit Nigeria was given to the Lebanese authorities by Hezbollah.
According to the security source, the lack of an active foreign service liaison with security and intelligence organisation at the Nigerian embassy in Beirut made it difficult to share such intelligence operations with Nigeria directly.  It is suspected in security circles that Sheikh Al-Assir was coming to Nigeria to link up with Boko Haram leaders to lend support to their ongoing insurgency.

 Security officials believe that Nigeria needs to improve its foreign service liaison in Beirut and other embassies abroad ´so as to obtain vital intelligence regarding security concerns. Foreign service officials are supposed to liaise with intelligence and security organisations of host countries and share intelligence information in the tradition of give and take.