

The newly appointed Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mohammed Babandede has ordered officers at various airports to arrest all former
political office holders still in possession of their diplomatic passports.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, Babandede said the deadline for the return of these passports has long expired and must now be retrieved by force.
President Muhammadu Buhari had in August last year ordered former Nigerian public office holders to immediately surrender official and diplomatic passports issued to them while they were in office.
The categories of officials affected by the directive are former governors, former ministers, former senators, former members of the House of Representatives, and former members of state Houses of Assembly.
Others are former commissioners, former special advisers/special assistants, former chairmen/deputy chairmen of local government areas, all retired heads of parastatals and retired public servants.
The immigration Service said, “failure to comply with this directive will amount to an offence under the Immigration Act 2015. Such unauthorized possession will be impounded at our control posts on arrival or departure.”
Babandede said amongst other things, his goal is to make the Nigerian immigration service a model, stressing that the days of corruption and delay in passport collection are over.
According to him, the measure was intended to protect and promote Nigeria’s integrity in the comity of nations in addition to ensuring law and order.
The new immigration boss also acknowledged that some officers in the service collect bribes from Nigerians in the North-East fleeing from Boko Haram insurgents, he warned them to desist forthwith.
He promised that the service under his watch will ensure that field operations are properly funded to eradicate the usual excuse for such corrupt indulgence.
Also announcing the decentralization of passport issuance administration, the Comptroller-General noted that henceforth state commands of the service will now handle re-issuance of lost passports and change of name issues, as no one will be required to come to Abuja for such issues.
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