Nigerian passport: 80 Immigration Agents Are Being Tried After 80 Were Fired For Extortion

The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has once again stated that they will not tolerate the collecting of any illicit fees for passport issue.

According to Tony Akuneme, the Comptroller of Immigration's Public Relations Officer, 80 policemen are currently facing extortion charges, and 8 more have been fired in the previous year.

The sanction, according to him, was one of three items on Comptroller General Isah Jere's agenda: alter a passport

The spokeswoman stated that, contrary to the past, the CG's initiatives caused the majority of applicants to make online passport reservations.

"You don't need anybody, whether immigration officers or agents which we usually call touts. They are still third parties," he told NAN.

"We have continued to punish officers and men who try to assist people for a fee. You can assist genuinely but not extorting from them.

Akuneme bemoaned the fact that "learned and civilised persons" typically rely on intermediaries to handle their application processing.

According to the PRO, this might occasionally lead to problems like an incorrect National Identification Number (NIN), among other things.

The NIS recommended applicants to complete their applications by hand and added that there were officers in place to keep an eye on unscrupulous employees.

The Immigration authority refused to take action after Akuneme instructed complainants to "tell the world" when they are being blackmailed.