Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Interior, has warned that Nigerians who bribe Immigration officials for fast-tracked passport application process may face arrest and prosecution for bribery and inducement.

Mr Aregbesola issued this warning at the commissioning of e-passport facility and passport production centre, Enugu Passport Office, on Thursday.

The minister said, “Promising an applicant an express service, therefore, is a scam. It is bound to end in disappointment, and for most part, it does. I will appeal, therefore, to applicants to follow the path we provide through the online portal. That is the only reliable and assuring path to procuring a Nigerian passport.”

“If you pay money to any Immigration staff, you can be arrested and charged for bribery and inducement,” Mr Aregbesola warned.

The minister added that “system makes room for six weeks for fresh application and three weeks for renewal. This is to enable the NIS to investigate and verify claims by the applicants.”

“It is advisable for travellers in need of passport to begin the application process early, factoring our timeline. The six weeks maximum is reasonable and among the shortest application time in the world,” Mr Aregbesola said.

Recently, reports exposing immigration officers caught in passport racketeering became rife.

Though Mr Aregbesola has admitted that “unscrupulous” immigration officers collect bribe to facilitate passport for applicants, he has continued to threaten sanctions against applicants who attempt to exploit the system.