Until a few years ago, if you needed a visa to travel to Nigeria, you did what you would do if you were looking for a visa to most countries – you went to the Embassy or Consulate in your home country.

That is until someone in Nigeria’s interior ministry realized that visa issuance was a way to make huge sums of money.

Today if you need a Nigerian visa, you went through a private company owned by Mahmood Ahmadu. The company is Online Integrated Solutions (OIS) and the Nigerian government appointed them as the sole entity with the authority to issue Nigerian visas worldwide.

Earlier today, The Nigerian Community learnt the Nigerian government-appointed company is facing charges of fraud and money laundering in Nigeria.

According to media reports, Mr. Ahmadu along with three others including former Nigerian Interior Minister Abba Moro, is facing charges of fraud and breach of public procurement laws.

All those charged including Mr. Ahmadu have denied all wrongdoing.

Online Integrated Solutions (OIS), states on its website that it is present and conducting business on behalf of the Nigerian Government in 25 major cities across the world in Nigeria, China, Lebanon, UAE, Malaysia, Italy, Netherlands, South Africa, USA , France, Germany, UK, India, and Canada.

The company prides itself as “a specialist Nigerian visa and passport application agency” in partnership with diplomatic missions across the world to “expedite hitch-free travel” to global destinations.

The company makes millions of dollars every year working with the Nigerian government to issue visas.

Five Nigerians who frequented a popular restaurant in China have tested positive for COVID-19, the illness caused by coronavirus infection.

According to an announcement by the Guangzhou Health Commission, four of the five Nigerians are frequent visitors to the same eatery called “Emma Food.”

The owner of Emma Food, her daughter and another child, also tested positive for the pandemic.

It is not clear if the Nigerians contracted the virus during one of their visits to the restaurant although seven other individuals who tested positive for the coronavirus have also been linked to the same restaurant in China.

Meanwhile Chinese police have begun cracking down on Nigerians living in that country telling them to “go home” to their country.

A video which is trending on social media show Chinese police chasing Nigerians out from their homes to the road, telling them to go back to their country.

News reports later confirmed the incident as well.

“They are chasing us. They are telling us to go back to our country. There are Chinese in Africa. They have not been sent packing. They kept us here for 14 days, now they are telling us to leave, ” one of the Nigerians can be heard lamenting in the video.

Those who were being chased by the Chinese police in the video could be heard speaking Igbo language.

Nigeria has announced that it is banning visitors from 13 countries including United States, Italy, Iran, China, UK, Japan, France, Germany, Norway, Netherlands and Switzerland, beginning March 20, 2020.

This follows an announcement of five new cases of COVID-19 earlier today.

In making the announcement, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) posted on its Twitter account that it is also suspending the issuance of visa on arrival to visitors from the above mentioned countries.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria has also suspended the issuance of visa on arrival to travelers from these countries. All travelers returning from these countries prior to the restriction will be in supervised self-isolation, monitored by the NCDC and Port Health Services,” the tweet read.

Govt. of Nigeria is restricting entry into the country for travellers from: China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Japan, France, Germany, United States of America, Norway, United Kingdom, Netherlands & Switzerland

These are countries with > 1,000 cases domestically

— NCDC (@NCDCgov) March 18, 2020

Nigerian authorities said the ban will remain in effect until further notice.

Earlier today Nigerian officials announced an additional five cases of COVID-19, bringing the total of confirmed infections to eight.

In an earlier statement, the NCDC said a 30-year-old woman, who came into the country after a short visit to the UK tested positive to coronavirus after she developed symptoms including coughing and a fever on her return.

She had self-isolated in her home when she arrived in the country on March 13 and called the agency when she developed symptoms, the NCDC said, adding that it had begun tracing those who had come in contact with her.

Nigeria joined other African countries including Tunisia, Sudan, Egypt and South Africa who have announced various measures aimed at protecting its citizens from the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

Tunisia on Monday suspended all international flights and closed all land borders in an attempt to contain the outbreak. It also banned gathering in markets and other places and introduced a nighttime curfew from 6 p.m to 6 a.m from Wednesday.

Sudan sealed off all sea ports, land crossings and airports, a spokesman for Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council, Mohamed Al-Faki Suleiman, said in a press statement.

Egypt, with the highest number of coronavirus cases in Africa, announced it was suspending flights from all its airports starting tomorrow to stop the spread of the virus.