Assistant Comptroller of Immigration (ACG) Nigeria Immigration Service Lagos Zonal Office, Doris Braimah has accused officials of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) at the Ikoyi Passport Office of extorting applicants seeking to procure international passports.
Braimah said the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) was getting embarrassed over indicting reports of extortion of applicants by the NIMC officials.
The officials, she alleged, used the opportunity of operating from their facility to give the service a bad name.
Braimah said though the NIS has been collaborating with NIMC is assisting intending passport holders secure National Identity Number (NIN), such window should not be used to illegally collect money from unsuspecting members of the public and thereby tarnish the image of the NIS.
She clarified that NIMC officials will remain in the Ikoyi Passport Office abiding by the operating standards and procedures as partners.
She said: “The Nigeria Immigration Service will not sit down and fold its hands and allow the misconduct through extortion of officials of National Identity Management Commission tarnish our reputation.
“Immigration Services does not issue national identity number, we only allow them to operate from our facility to make it easy for Nigerians seeking international passport to get their identity number, which is a prerequisite to procure international passport.
“We have had discussions, and I think they will do the needful by stopping the extortion of intending passport holders. They are the people pulling unnecessary crowd into Ikoyi Passport Office.”