NIS Reacts To THE WHISTLER Report, Vows To Punish Officers Involved In Passport Racketeering

As part of efforts to rid the agency of bad eggs, the acting Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Caroline Wura- Ola Adepoju, has ordered an investigation into allegations of misconduct against some NIS personnel.

This followed an investigation by THE WHISTLER which detailed how some personnel of the service actively asked applicants to use back door channels to obtain their passports in return for financial inducement.

Our report also narrated the ordeal Nigerians go through before obtaining their passport, despite the directive of the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, that passports must be produced within two weeks of registration.

Reacting, the NIS said it received with deep concern the allegations of noncompliance with the ministerial directives on the timeline of passport administration.

It subsequently released hotlines for applicants to file complaints and grievances if they encounter any form of misconduct in the process of obtaining their passports.

A statement signed by DCI Aridegbe Adedotun and made available to THE WHISTLER on Saturday reads;

“The Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Caroline Wura- Ola Adepoju pcc+, fsi, has received with deep concern some complaints of misconduct levelled against our personnel in some Passport offices across the nation.

“The Comptroller General has ordered an investigation into the matter, especially in regards to the noncompliance with Ministerial directives on the timeline of Passport administration.

“The Honourable Minister and the Ag. CGI provided different phone numbers to the general public to report misdemeanors by NIS personnel at any of our offices. From NIS we gave two numbers: 08028320751 (SPRO), 08067761196 (SA – SERVICOM), and we are not only ready to answer your calls but resolve issues.

“The Service has on a daily basis, monitored the compliance level at all Passport offices nationwide and at our missions abroad. We receive daily reports on production and issuance of Passports from all Passport Control Officers.

“The Service wishes to use this opportunity to enlighten the general public that applications for reissuance of lost Passport and change of data takes a longer time. Some applicants in this category may put the Service in bad light when they complain of delay and noncompliance with the new timeline.

“These applications are required to go through security clearance and correspondence with Service Headquarters before approval for production.

“The Service enjoins prospective Passport applicants to pleas visit the Nigeria Immigration Service’s official website at immigration.gov.ng to apply for Passports and make payments for their preferred Passport categories and avoid patronizing individuals or entities that request cash payments for Passport services,” the statement added.