By Abbanobi-Eku Onyeka
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has honoured four senior officers who retired after 35 years of service, while also providing clarification on the controversial issuance of a Nigerian passport to Mrs Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac.
The four retirees are Deputy Comptroller-General, Planning, Research and Statistics, D.M. Bagari; Deputy Comptroller-General, ICT and Cybersecurity, A. Obianime; Deputy Comptroller-General, Border Management, A.R. Sabo; and Assistant Comptroller-General, Migration Directorate, A.M. Halliday.
At a valedictory session in Abuja, the Comptroller-General of Immigration, K.N. Nandap, represented by the Deputy Comptroller-General, Visa and Residency, F.U. Nwanneka, commended the officers for their leadership, dedication and contributions to the growth and transformation of the Service. She wished them a fulfilling and peaceful retirement.
The event was attended by senior management officials, serving officers, family members, friends and well-wishers who celebrated the retirees’ careers and legacies.
Meanwhile, the NIS has rejected reports suggesting that it issued Passport No. B51450551 to Godwin-Isaac while she was standing trial or in defiance of a Federal High Court order.
In a statement signed by the Service Public Relations Officer, DCI Akinsola Akinlabi, the NIS said the disputed passport was issued on February 15, 2025, approximately four months before Godwin-Isaac was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 18, 2025.
The Service said its records showed that Godwin-Isaac had previously been issued Passport No. B00485650 on August 13, 2021, and subsequently applied for reissuance on February 5, 2025. It said the earlier passport was cancelled after the new one was issued.
According to the NIS, there was no court order, watchlist instruction or other formal restriction communicated to it as at February 15, 2025, preventing the issuance of the new passport or restricting her international travel.
The clarification comes after allegations surrounding how Godwin-Isaac obtained the second passport while her earlier passport was reportedly in the custody of the court. The Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, had earlier directed an investigation into the matter following complaints by lawyers representing a complainant in her ongoing case.
The NIS maintained that any subsequent court order requiring the deposit of the passport was made after the disputed passport had already been issued. It said questions concerning compliance with such an order were matters for the court and other competent authorities.
The Service also said Godwin-Isaac subsequently travelled to Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom, adding that it had not received any formal directive from the court, prosecuting agency or another competent authority restricting her international movement.
The NIS said it remained committed to accountability, the rule of law and the integrity of Nigeria’s passport and border-management systems, adding that it would cooperate with any lawful investigation and make relevant records available to competent authorities.
The controversy therefore remains subject to further examination, particularly regarding the circumstances surrounding the passport application and the information available to immigration authorities when the document was issued.
