The retrieval of diplomatic passports and other official travel documents from immediate past government officials under Goodluck Jonathan, has been announced.
Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammed Babandede MFR
Speaking during an interaction with journalists in Abuja, Mohammed Babandede, the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, announced the retrieval of diplomatic passports and other official travel documents from immediate past government officials who served under Goodluck Jonathan.
Recall that on assumption of office about two months ago, the Immigration CG threatened to arrest former ministers, governors and others who served under the last administration if they fail to return such diplomatic documents since they've left office over a year ago.
“Some of them have started returning the passports. The response has been very impressive, but I cannot immediately give you the number of those that have returned theirs,” he said.
Babandede maintained that the strategy to collect the passports from their holders at the borders would be sustained, adding that additional measures, including prosecution of defaulters, might also be considered.
According to Vanguard, he also disclosed that the NIS has received approval to write to federal, state, local government institutions to, henceforth, include the return of the government documents as some of the things to return before payment of severance or retirement benefits.
“Also you cannot cross the border with the diplomatic passport whether going or coming if you are not entitled to it, we will collect it.
“The next thing we will do is to go house to house to collect it. It is an offence. I told a former minister that it is an offence for you to hold a passport when you do not deserve it.
‘’It attracts a two-year jail term. We will soon begin to catch defaulters. People have started returning a lot of the passports,” he said.
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