The authorities of the Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS have warned its officers and men against Passport racketeering.
This comes as the suspension placed on the application for International Passports by the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola was lifted Wednesday.
The Service maintained that the full weight of the law would be visited on anyone who undermines the ongoing reforms in the service.
The Service announced that Nigerians can now apply for the document as it has opened its Passports Application Portal.
The Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (CGI), Muhammad Babandede said effective from June 8, by 12 midnight, the Portal would be opened to allow eligible applicants apply and make payments for various categories of the documents.
The Passport portal was closed on the 17th of May, 2021 following the directives of Aregbesola to afford the Service the opportunity to clear all backlogs of applications that have piled up across Issuing Centres in the past few months.
A statement from the Service Public Relations officer, Amos Okpu noted that with the reopening of the portal, a new Passport application and payment regime has commenced.
He said under the new regime applications and payments for Passport services shall be made through the Service website www.immigration.gov.ng.
Okpu quoted The Comptroller General as warning Nigerians and Passport applicants to avoid patronizing touts as the entire process has been made seamless for effective and efficient service delivery.
He also warned Passport racketeers to desist from acts capable of undermining the reform efforts in the Service.
Gift Sadiat Habib
