The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to immediately withdraw and deactivate passports issued to individuals who have formally renounced their Nigerian citizenship.
The directive applies specifically to persons whose renunciation requests have been duly approved and registered by the President. In a statement issued on Friday by the Minister’s Special Adviser on Media, Alao Babatunde, Tunji-Ojo explained that the move aligns with Section 29 (1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which outlines the legal framework for renouncing Nigerian citizenship.
The Minister stressed that once a declaration of renunciation is registered, the individual ceases to be a Nigerian citizen and is no longer entitled to hold sovereign documents. He described the continued possession of a Nigerian passport by non-citizens as a breach of national identity regulations.
“Once a person ceases to be a citizen of Nigeria, he can no longer carry any sovereign document of Nigeria, including the nation’s passport,” the Minister stated.
The directive is part of broader passport and visa reforms aimed at enhancing national security and administrative efficiency. Tunji-Ojo assured that the government remains committed to strengthening border protection, curbing identity fraud, and upholding the integrity of the nation’s citizenship framework.