Nigerien authorities have arrested have arrested two Nigerian hip-hop artists, Mubarak Abdulkarim (Mr 442) and his manager, Ola of Kano, for attempting to obtain the country’s passports.
DAILY NIGERIAN gathered that the duo was arrested at a passport center in Maradi by the Niger border and migration control agency, the Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire, DST.
Authorities in the landlocked West African country told DAILY NIGERIAN that the two artists had been transferred to the capital Niamey for further interrogation and possible prosecution.
Prior to their travel from Kano to Maradi, the artists showed off their new simple hairstyles, with their dreadlocks completed shaved, on their TikTok page.
According to immigration experts, Nigerien nationals get visas to Western countries more than Nigerians, a situation that heightens demand for ‘backdoor’ acquisition of the passport and racketeering by Nigerians.
Also, Agadez city of Niger, located on the southern edge of the Sahara desert, is a transit point for many migrants trying to reach Libya to cross the Mediterranean to Italy.
The artists, who sing in Hausa language, are famous for their hit songs: Kwalele (feat. Mr 442 & SAFAA); Collect (TATATA) (Northern Version) by AA Shelleng, Safaa, Mr 442, Malika; Jigida (Waist Bead) by Speedorh, Mr 442, Safaa; Kwalele (feat. Mr 442 & SAFAA); Kidan Mata (feat. Mr 442); among others.
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