Tunde-Ojo Leads FG Move to Seize Passports from Nigerians Who Renounced Citizenship—-The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has ordered the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to immediately deactivate and retrieve passports issued to individuals who have officially renounced their Nigerian citizenship.
The directive was announced in a statement released in Abuja by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Babatunde Alao.
According to Tunji-Ojo, the order applies strictly to persons whose renunciation has been duly approved by Bola Tinubu, as required by law.
He referenced Section 29(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which provides that once a renunciation is registered by the President, the individual ceases to be a Nigerian citizen.
The minister stressed that such individuals are no longer entitled to possess Nigerian passports, describing the document as a sovereign asset reserved exclusively for citizens.
He added that the move is part of broader reforms targeted at enhancing border security, strengthening identity management, and curbing fraud within the country’s travel documentation system.
Tunji-Ojo reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring that only eligible Nigerians retain access to official travel documents.
