Nigerian Court Orders Interior Minister, Immigration To Issue Passports Within Six Weeks, Awards Applicant N3Million In Damages For Delay

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Interior Minister, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to ensure the issuance of international passports to qualified applicants within six weeks.

This directive is in line with Section 9(4) of the Immigration Act 2015.

The court’s judgment was delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite on December 4 in a fundamental rights enforcement suit filed by Benita Ngozi Ezumezu. Ezumezu had sued the NIS and the Interior Minister for failing to issue her a passport despite fulfilling all requirements as of October 6, 2022.

Justice Nwite ruled in favor of the applicant, rejecting the respondents’ arguments.

The court granted all her reliefs and awarded N3 million in damages against the respondents. The judge declared that Ezumezu had met all the necessary requirements for a passport as of October 2022 and was entitled to receive it within the legally mandated six-week period.

The NIS had previously claimed to have cleared the passport backlog, urging applicants to collect their passports.

However, the court’s judgment highlights the need for the NIS to adhere to the stipulated timeframe for passport issuance.

The court’s decision has been welcomed by Ezumezu’s employer, Citizens’ Common (CC), a civil society organization.

Olalekan Oshunkoya, CC’s Chief Executive, emphasized that poorly delivered government services should not be acceptable without consequences.