Federal Government to Withdraw Passports from Citizens Who Renounce Status
The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to immediately withdraw and deactivate passports held by individuals who have formally renounced their Nigerian citizenship.
The directive was disclosed in a statement issued on Saturday by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media, Alao Babatunde. It applies to Nigerians whose renunciation requests have been duly approved by the President.
Tunji-Ojo explained that the ministry, which is responsible for maintaining the integrity of Nigeria’s citizenship system, derives the authority for this action from Section 29(1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
According to the constitutional provision, any Nigerian of full age who wishes to renounce their citizenship must make a formal declaration in the prescribed manner. Once the declaration is registered by the President, the individual officially ceases to be a citizen of Nigeria.
The minister emphasised that individuals who are no longer citizens are not entitled to retain any sovereign documents of the country, including Nigerian passports.
He noted that the directive aligns with ongoing passport and visa reforms undertaken by the ministry in recent years, aimed at strengthening national identity management and border control systems.
Tunji-Ojo added that the move is intended to close an existing gap that allowed former citizens to continue travelling with Nigerian passports even after their renunciation had been officially recognised.
“We will continue to strengthen systems that secure Nigeria’s borders, prevent identity fraud, preserve the sanctity of Nigerian citizenship, and facilitate legitimate travel while preventing unauthorised or ineligible access,” he said.