- The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) will soon publish the names of former Ministers, Governors and members of the National and State Assemblies who are illegally in possession of official and diplomatic passports.
- The Comptroller-General of the NIS, Martin Abeshi issued the threat while unfolding his programme for the agency in Abuja, yesterday.
Abeshi said: “I am advising that those who have not returned these facilities [diplomatic and official passports] should bring them because very soon, I will publish the names of those who collected official and diplomatic passports.
- Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had on September 7, 2015, directed the NIS to retrieve the documents from all illegal holders, mostly former top public office holders, but the NIS Comptroller-General said most of them were yet to comply with the directive.
“I am not going to do it now; I want to respect them because they were once statesmen in this country, but I am advising that they should bring those passports in their possession to the Immigration office now,” he said.
- Former public officials that were issued diplomatic passports include commissioners, special advisers/special assistants, chairmen/deputy chairmen of local government areas, all retired heads of parastatals and some retired public servants.
- The NIS boss noted that the passports could also be submitted to Comptrollers of the State commands all over the country who have been mandated to collect the documents from the illegal holders.
- However, he revealed that over 200 passports have been retrieved since this directive was given.
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