Passport Racketeering in South-east Heightens as Applicants Indict Immigration Officers

Chinedu Eze

Passport Control Officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in the South-east have been accused of charging extra fees in addition to the official fees for obtaining international passports.

THISDAY Investigation revealed that hundreds of applicants who applied to obtain passports were made to either pay more for the passport, or get delayed for several months before they were given their passports if they choose to follow the normal process of applying online.

Some of the applicants that applied for passports in each of the South-east state, spoke to THISDAY and reported similar treatment.

In Abia State for instance, applicants that spoke to THISDAY, alleged that after applying for the passport, they are forced to pay N13, 000 before an applicant is allowed to go for capture.

It was learnt that after the capturing, an applicant would be told to pay additional N20, 000, if he wants passport to be processed faster, thus making it N33, 000, which is aside the official payment of N25, 000, including bank charges of N2000, totaling N60, 000 for the five-year passport.

“This is the least amount you are allowed to pay if you wish to get your passport in less than two weeks. May be, in one week. But nobody in immigration will talk to you. Big business is going on there. The Passport Control Officer has her agents. If you pay into the wrong hand, your money goes into the drain, and nobody will talk to you,” he said.

In Owerri, the Imo State capital, THISDAY gathered that applicants were made to pay about N70, 000 for five years passport, of 32 pages, while about N150, 000 is paid for the 64-page 10 years passport.

“I came down to my state, hoping I will easily obtain a passport because there will be less crowd and less pressure but when I came to the federal secretariat, I saw crowd milling everywhere. I got to the passport office and I was told the official price and what I will have to pay to get my passport. I wanted to get 10 years passport and they are calling N150, 000. I told them I am not that in a hurry; I was then asked to wait for two months. This is unbelievable, ”an applicant said.

THISDAY also learnt that Nigerians who wish to urgently renew their passports could be asked to pay as much as N150, 000, especially those who live abroad that need to urgently return to their station.

“Those ones who come from overseas just want quick service. They are ready to pay you what you asked for. They just want to know whether you will deliver,” an Immigration official in Imo State told THISDAY.

In Enugu, it was learnt that while applicants were made to pay more than the official cost for the passport. The amount added, brings the total payment to N60, 000 and sometimes less, but in Ebonyi, the officials could request N115, 000 for 10 years passport and N55,000 to N60, 000 for five years passport and up to N150,000 for “express service.”

“Many of us come down to the East to obtain passports but we are witnessing the same treatment we were getting in Lagos and Abuja. There is too much congestion in Lagos. At Festac, my uncle’s children obtained their passport more than two months after the applied and got captured. So, I came over to the East, believing it will be better but the charges are too much. I know it will take shorter time to get the passport,” an applicant told THISDAY.

But the Passport Control Officer (PCO) in Imo State, Mrs. Kelechi Duru, told THISDAY that she does not collect money from anyone to process passport. She said that Imo State Immigration Service abides by the rules, adding that applicants usually apply online and those that meet the requirement are captured and payment is done online.

She complained bitterly about the federal secretariat in Owerri, where the Immigration office is located, describing it as market.

“The federal secretariat is a very porous place. In fact, it is like a market where touts mill around and exploit people. The touts claim to be Immigration officials and deceive applicants into paying them money. I do not collect money from anyone. Today (November 29, 2023) somebody who came for capture was told it was not his turn and he got angry and said after paying N50, 000 to his guarantor. Some of them pose to be their guarantor and use it to exploit them,” she said.

The PCO explained that anyone obtaining a new passport must have a guarantor, which is one of the compulsory conditions and in Imo State, this is used to exploit the people.

The Controller of the Command, Mrs. Nkechi Ugwu, spoke in the same vein and condemned the goings-on at the secretariate, saying that it is high time Immigration was moved from the federal secretariat to the agency’s own office.

“There are different ways to do this. If you find any of my officers wanting report him to me. We have been warning officers not to collect money. But where we are is a market. I have made efforts in two occasions for us to leave this place but we have not succeeded,” Mrs. Ugwu said.

The PCO in Abia State, Mrs. Nneka Agina did not respond to calls or responded to the message sent to her and the PCO in Enugu, Mrs. Nkechi Anete told THISDAY she would not talk unless she received approval from the Immigration PRO in Abuja.

A senior immigration official who spoke to THISDAY said that the report is rife about the activities of the PCOs in the zone, remarking that their supervisors ought to check their excesses but they allegedly keep quiet while the illicit activities are going on.

“The controllers of the state command are accomplices because they don’t call the PCOs out. It is unfortunate that this is going on in spite of the Minister of Interior’s complaint and reprimand. We know that officers lobby to be PCOs but the rip off is too much. Since the last three months, the Minister has ensured there are enough passport booklets; so, things have improved. Booklets are no more scarce in passport offices,” the official said.