Immigration Admits Issuing Second Passport To Fraud Suspect Standing Trial

…As INAHURAT Petitions AGF, Interior Minister, EFCC

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has confirmed issuing a second passport to a suspect standing trial over alleged land fraud.

NIS spokesman, Akinsola Akinlabi, made the admission on Wednesday while responding to allegations raised at a press conference by the Initiative Against Human Rights Abuse and Torture (INAHURAT), which accused the service of being involved in a coordinated scheme of passport fraud, obstruction of justice, and interference in ongoing land fraud prosecutions involving one Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac, also known as Hajia Bilikisu Ishaqu Aliyu.

At the press briefing in Abuja, INAHURAT also announced that it had petitioned the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN); the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), calling for investigation and prosecution of those allegedly behind the passport issuance and related actions.

Speaking through its lead representative, Dr. Maxwell Chibuike Opara, the group alleged that the suspect benefited from compromised systems within the Nigeria Immigration Service, which led to the issuance of a second international passport while her original passport was allegedly in the custody of the EFCC under court-ordered bail conditions.

“We have called you here today to address a deeply alarming situation that threatens the very core of the administration of criminal justice, national security, and institutional integrity in Nigeria,” Opara said.

He described the situation as “a textbook case of state capture, institutional bullying, and a high-level conspiracy engineered by a highly connected criminal suspect,” alleging that entrenched networks within law enforcement agencies were being used to frustrate prosecution.

INAHURAT specifically alleged that a “parallel passport” was issued on February 15, 2025, despite a court order restricting the suspect’s movement.

“The parallel passport: weeks before her arraignment in court and while her original valid passport… was seized and kept in the evidence vaults of the EFCC, a rogue, parallel, fully functioning international passport was generated, printed, and issued to this exact suspect by the Nigeria Immigration Service,” the group alleged.

The organisation further claimed that the document enabled international travel in breach of bail conditions.

“Armed with this illicitly procured secondary travel document, this suspect has been passing unhindered through international airport terminals across Nigeria with police escorts, actively moving across borders with absolute impunity,” the statement added.

INAHURAT also alleged that key officials involved in the investigation and prosecution of the case had been subjected to intimidation, redeployment, or dismissal as part of what it described as a “decimation of the EFCC prosecution team.”

“We are witnessing a terrifying pattern where any state actor… who refuses to compromise this case file is instantly targeted, defamed, and unceremoniously flushed out of office,” Opara said.

The group cited the alleged redeployment of EFCC investigator Elizabeth Eke, the alleged intimidation of FCTA Director of Investigations Joseph Eriki, and the dismissal of prosecutor Barrister Samuel Chime.

It also accused a former Inspector-General of Police of conducting a “sham trial” aimed at frustrating EFCC prosecution and creating grounds for a double jeopardy defence.

“How does a criminal suspect under investigation have access to confidential, internal anti-graft disciplinary letters four days before they are officially served?” the group asked, describing it as “insider sabotage and institutional capture.”

INAHURAT further said it had itself come under attack for pursuing the case, with its representative alleging personal intimidation and defamation.

“I have been severely attacked, defamed and maligned in the media all because of my insistence on justice and the rule of law,” Opara said.

The group said it had formally invoked Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution, urging the AGF to take over the prosecution or appoint independent counsel.

“We are formally requesting the AGF to invoke his constitutional powers… to take over the police matter or issue an independent prosecutorial fiat,” it stated.

It also called for a forensic audit of Nigeria Immigration Service systems to determine how the alleged second passport was issued.

“We demand an immediate forensic audit of the NIS system logs for February 15, 2025, to unmask, arrest, and prosecute insider immigration personnel who manufactured this rogue document,” it said.

INAHURAT further urged the prosecution of the suspect for alleged immigration-related offences and called on the EFCC to seek revocation of bail.

“We firmly expect the EFCC to file an urgent application… for the absolute revocation of bail and the immediate remand of the suspect in prison custody pending determination of trial,” the group said.

In separate petitions submitted to the AGF, EFCC, and Ministry of Interior, the group reiterated its allegations of fraud, institutional compromise, and obstruction of justice, insisting that urgent intervention was necessary to restore public confidence in the justice system.

When contacted, the NIS confirmed issuing the second passport but defended its actions.

Spokesman Akinsola Akinlabi said the passport was issued lawfully, noting that there was no formal restriction communicated to the service at the time.

He explained that “the passport was issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service; that is the second passport,” adding that at the time of issuance, “there was no objection from the court or prosecuting agency to blacklist the passport holder.”

Akinlabi stressed that passport issuance is based on eligibility and documentation, not perception.

“We can’t just, on the basis of how somebody looks, refuse to issue a passport. Everybody is entitled to a passport if they meet the requirements,” he said.

He added that applicants must apply online and upload relevant documentation, including data pages of existing passports, noting that different situations such as exhaustion of passport pages could justify issuance of a new one.

Responding to claims that EFCC had seized the original passport, he said, “Nobody notified us that the passport had been confiscated.”

Pressed further on verification procedures, Akinlabi declined to give a direct answer on how the applicant’s claims were independently confirmed before issuance of the second passport.