The Federal Government yesterday revoked the diplomatic and official passports in possession of former governors and former ministers.
The revocation notice, given by the Comptroller- General of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Mr. Martin Kure Abeshi, also affected former senators, former members of the House of Representatives, their erstwhile counterparts in state legislatures, former commissioners, former special advisers and former special assistants. Also affected are former chairmen and deputy chairmen of local government areas, all retired heads of government parastatals and retired top public servants.
Abeshi, in a statement sent online by PRNigeria, an agency that publicises activities of government and security agencies, said all the affected former public officeholders should return their diplomatic and official passports issued to them while they were in the office to the NIS. He urged all the affected former public officeholders who are no longer authorised to be in possession of such documents to comply immediately with the directive.
“These categories of persons are hereby informed that these passports, which were previously held by them, have been revoked and should return them to the Nigeria Immigration Service Headquarters, Abuja with immediate effect. “Failure to comply with this directive will amount to an offence under the Immigration Act 2015.
Such unauthorised possession will be impounded at our control posts on arrival or departure,” Abeshi said. Yesterday’s revocation of the diplomatic and official passports still in possession of former governors and others came two weeks after the Federal Government had withdrawn the documents from them.
New Telegraph gathered that the decision to revoke the documents followed the failure of some former public officeholders to return the passports to the NIS as provided for under the guidelines in which they were issued to them.
The Federal Government had, last month, ordered the affected persons to return the passports. A statement by the Director of Press, Federal Ministry of Interior, Mr. Yusuf Isiaka, directed the NIS to retrieve the passports from the former officeholders.
“The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Interior, Mr. Abubakar Magaji, has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to retrieve all valid diplomatic and official passports with immediate effect from all persons who are not entitled to hold such documents.
“The attention of the Federal Government has been drawn to the fact that some Nigerians who are not entitled to hold diplomatic and official passports are in possession of these documents,” the statement said. According to the statement, the measure is intended to protect and promote Nigeria’s integrity in the comity of nations in addition to ensuring law and order.
