After paying the N130,000 necessary for the renewal and modification of data, one applicant who talked with SaharaReporters described how he was subsequently requested to pay a another N30,000.

The Nigeria Immigration Service has been charged with trying to blackmail Nigerians who are applying in Lagos to renew their passports.

After paying the N130,000 necessary for the renewal and modification of data, one applicant who talked with SaharaReporters described how he was subsequently requested to pay a another N30,000.

“After making the required N130,000 payment as stated on the immigration website, I was asked to pay an additional N30,000 that is not covered by law,” he stated.

“You would need to pay N130,000 if you wish to alter data on the web platform. They would advise you to pay an additional N30,000 at their office once you have paid the first amount. I was informed that the one in charge of them at Alausa is the one who gets paid N30,000.

The victim told SaharaReporters, “I was told that before I can do any capturing, I have to pay the additional N30,000 and we do not understand where it is going.”

The victim was also informed that his passport would not be returned to him if the N30,000 was not paid.

“I was informed that in order to have any chance of receiving a passport, I have to pay that N30,000,” he stated.

a 64-page passport booklet valid for ten years cost N100,000, and an additional N30,000 was needed to rectify data, making the total cost of N130,000, according to the NIS website.

Another disgruntled applicant said, “Getting a passport has been a daunting task.” “Despite paying the required fees and undergoing biometric capture, I was left waiting for weeks with no update on my application’s status.”

The applicant didn’t get the process accelerated until she got in touch with a well-connected NIS immigration officer.

But there was an extra, unofficial cost associated with this.

The applicant bemoaned, “The entire experience was expensive and frustrating.” “It’s unacceptable that ordinary citizens must resort to bribing officials to access basic services like passport issuance.”

The recent revelations reveal the pervasive corruption inside the Nigerian Immigration Service, despite the government’s stated intentions to reform the organisation.

Corruption continues to be a major problem despite attempts to curb it, compromising the government’s pledge to provide open public services.

In an effort to combat corruption, NIS demoted 14 employees and fired four employees in January 2023 for a variety of infractions. To completely remove the system’s pervasive corruption, further work must be done.

Extensive extortion and corruption at passport offices have been exposed by investigations, with applicants paying more than the authorised amounts in order to receive a passport.

The immigration public relations officer, Kenneth Udo, informed DAILYPPULSE that demanding an additional fee is against the organization’s standards. “The correct fee is N130,000 and there is no extra N30,000 required to be paid. I am interested in this case as we do not tolerate this kind of behaviour and we would investigate the circumstances,” the man who answered the phone for the NIS said, adding that while the N130,000 was official, the N30,000 fee was not.

The extent of the issue is unclear since, even after fulfilling the conditions listed on the Nigerian Immigration Service website, an unknown number of Nigerians are required to pay an additional N30,000.