FG Suspends 3,964 Passports, Places Nigerians On Watch List

The Nigeria Immigration Service has 3,964 Nigerians on its watch list at the moment.

The identities of those impacted have reportedly been given to security services at the country’s international airports, where they would be arrested on the spot.

According to the NIS annual report suspect index for 2020, 308 people were placed on the watch list in 2019, 166 in 2020, and 51 in both years.

There are currently 3, 438 passports under scrutiny, with 23 on the exemption list.

“Suspect index checks and maintains the list of those whose admission into Nigeria is restricted or on whom specific instructions about entry and exit from Nigeria are in place,” according to the report.
The travel documents are the tools utilized in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies and courts of competent jurisdiction to achieve this goal.”

In a similar move, the NIS has canceled 149, 875 stolen or lost passports and uploaded them via the Web Services for Data Management platform to Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents database.

Meanwhile, there are signs that the FG may not be able to reach its revenue projections for NIS services in 2021.

Due to the reduced number of foreign visitors and expatriates in the nation after COVID-19 travel restrictions, the NIS may face revenue shortfalls from visas, e-PASS, ECOWAS Residence Cards, the Combined Expatriate Residence Permit and Aliens Card, and other papers issued by the NIS.

According to immigration sources, the number of Italians, Britons, South Africans, Chinese, Indians, and other Asians who make up a substantial percentage of the country’s expatriates has decreased due to travel restrictions enforced by their home countries.

According to Muhammad Babandede, the former Comptroller-General of Immigration, the department will experience a 40% income loss in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to NIS figures, CERPAC brought in N20.3 billion in 2018, N40.7 billion in 2019, and N16.7 billion in 2020.

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