700 deported from the north

MAIDUGURI (AP):

Immigration officials say they've deported 700 illegal immigrants from northern Nigeria to prevent them from casting votes in next year's presidential election. Babayo Alkali, comptroller of the Nigeria Immigration Service, told journalists yesterday that the immigrants came from Cameroon, Chad and Niger.

Alkali said since the immigrants arrived in the country without proper documents, they could also find a way to potentially cast ballots in what could be chaotic elections next year. Many immigrants come to oil-rich Nigeria for opportunities lacking in their countries near the Sahara Desert, where many areas now suffer from a food shortage. Many work as servants and in construction, while others engage in petty trading.