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The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to withdraw and deactivate passports held by individuals who have formally renounced their Nigerian citizenship, according to a statement from his office.
The directive, announced by the minister’s Special Adviser on Media, Alao Babatunde, applies to former Nigerian citizens whose requests for renunciation the President has officially approved.
The minister’s position is that such individuals are no longer entitled to hold or use Nigerian travel documents following the completion of that process.
According to the statement, the minister grounded the policy in Section 29, subsections (1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The constitutional provision states that “any citizen of Nigeria of full age who wishes to renounce his Nigerian citizenship shall make a declaration in the prescribed manner for the renunciation.”
It also provides that “the President shall cause the declaration made under subsection (1) of this section to be registered and upon such registration, the person who made the declaration shall cease to be a citizen of Nigeria.”
According to Tunji-Ojo, once a person legally loses their Nigerian citizenship, they are no longer allowed to carry any state-issued documents, including passports.
The directive is part of a broader set of passport and visa reforms the Ministry of Interior has pursued in recent years.
The directive indicates that the move aims to enhance border security, combat identity fraud, and uphold the integrity of Nigerian citizenship.
“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,” Tunji-Ojo was quoted as saying.
MINISTER OF INTERIOR DIRECTS NIGERIA IMMIGRATION SERVICE TO WITHDRAW PASSPORTS FROM PERSONS WHO HAVE RENOUNCED NIGERIAN CITIZENSHIP
The Honourable Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to immediately
withdraw and deactivate… pic.twitter.com/zPXkqLuDpe— Ministry of Interior (@MinOfInteriorNG) April 11, 2026
