The acting comptroller general of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Wura-Ola Adepoju, says 112,351 passport booklets are yet to be collected by applicants across the 36 states of the federation and the FCT.

Ms Adepoju, who said this during a press briefing at the service headquarters on Thursday in Abuja, added that the figure was as of October 5, 2023.

She said the service had cleared all the 204,332 passport application backlogs after the Minister of Interior Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo’s two-week deadline to the service.

Ms Adepoju said, “91,981 passport booklets have been collected so far. There are 112,351 others not yet collected.”

“I invite applicants who have applied for passports to come and pick them up without paying anything extra,” Ms Adepoju said.

The NIS boss observed a high demand for travel documents in the last few years due to the ‘Japa syndrome’ in Nigeria.

She assured that the two-week timeline set by the Minister for processing passports would be adhered to.

Ms Adepoju warned applicants to shun touts, urging them to contact the service if any personnel demand a bribe from them to get a passport.

“Any personnel caught demanding a bribe would be severely punished; the minister has directed that we make a scapegoat of any corrupt official caught,” she added. 

(NAN)