The Federal Government has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to withdraw or deactivate passports from individuals who have formally renounced their Nigerian citizenship.
Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo specified the order targets those whose renunciation requests have been approved by the President, noting some still hold Nigerian passports illegally. “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,” he stated.
The directive cites Section 29 of the 1999 Constitution, which states that upon presidential registration of a renunciation declaration, the individual ceases to be Nigerian. It supports broader passport and visa reforms to enhance border security, prevent identity fraud, and preserve citizenship integrity.
