GEJ's Ministers, ex-Govt. officials have started returning their diplomatic passports- Immigration boss
Thu Jul 14, 2016 03:11:pm National
2.2K By Buchi Obichie
The Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service NIS, Mohammed Babandede, has revealed that immediate past Government officials have started returning their diplomatic passports.
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, Babandede stated that the Immigration Service would sustain its strategies to retrieve such passports and other documents at the border.
Two months ago when he assumed office, the Immigration boss had threatened to arrest former Ministers, Governors and others who served under administration of immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan, but refused to return their diplomatic documents since leaving office.
"Some of them have started returning the passports. The response has been very impressive, but I cannot immediately give you the number of those that have returned theirs," he said.
Babandede disclosed that additional measures might also be considered, such as prosecution of defaulters.
"Also you cannot cross the border with the diplomatic passport whether going or coming if you are not entitled to it, we will collect it.
"The next thing we will do is to go house to house to collect it. It is an offence. I told a former Minister that it is an offence for you to hold a passport when you do not deserve it.
"It attracts a two-year jail term. We will soon begin to catch defaulters. People have started returning a lot of the passports," he said.
According to Babandede, the NIS had also received approval to write to Federal, State, Local Government institutions; to henceforth include the Government travel documents amongst the items to be returned before payment of severance or retirement benefits.
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja, Babandede stated that the Immigration Service would sustain its strategies to retrieve such passports and other documents at the border.
Two months ago when he assumed office, the Immigration boss had threatened to arrest former Ministers, Governors and others who served under administration of immediate past President, Goodluck Jonathan, but refused to return their diplomatic documents since leaving office.
"Some of them have started returning the passports. The response has been very impressive, but I cannot immediately give you the number of those that have returned theirs," he said.
Babandede disclosed that additional measures might also be considered, such as prosecution of defaulters.
"Also you cannot cross the border with the diplomatic passport whether going or coming if you are not entitled to it, we will collect it.
"The next thing we will do is to go house to house to collect it. It is an offence. I told a former Minister that it is an offence for you to hold a passport when you do not deserve it.
"It attracts a two-year jail term. We will soon begin to catch defaulters. People have started returning a lot of the passports," he said.
According to Babandede, the NIS had also received approval to write to Federal, State, Local Government institutions; to henceforth include the Government travel documents amongst the items to be returned before payment of severance or retirement benefits.
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