The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has commence investigation into the incident at Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos, where a video showed a woman intentionally damaging a Nigerian passport.
This was confirmed in a press statement issued late of Sunday by Kenneth Udo, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), saying the woman had been identified as Mrs. Favour Igiebor, holding passport number A11990869.
The viral video shows NIS personnel present during the incident, yet failing to intervene. Despite the woman’s open admission, proudly declaring “na me tear am” (I’m the one who tore it), she was permitted to depart the airport without being detained or facing any consequences.
In the viral video, the irate woman unapologetically confessed to destroying her husband’s passport.
After boldly confessing to the act, the woman took their two children with her and abandoned her husband, who seemed shocked and left speechless by the sudden turn of events.
“Bring my children out for me. If you want to sleep there, you sleep there. Come and go. This is Nigeria. Na here you dey” (You’re in Nigeria now),” she told her husband.
NIS officials consoled the husband, urging him to remain calm and composed, and surprisingly advised him to respond with silence, implying that as a man, he should quietly endure the humiliation without speaking out.
However, in response to the incident, which was in a statement released in the night and signed by Udo, the Comptroller General of Immigration, K.N. Nandap, directed that Mrs. Favour Igiebor be invited for further investigation.
The statement continued: “If the allegations are substantiated, her actions would constitute a breach of Section 10(b) of the Immigration Act 2015 (as amended), with corresponding penalties outlined under Section 10(h) of the same Act.
“The Nigeria Immigration Service remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding the provisions of the Immigration Act in the interest of national security, and to preserving the dignity and integrity of the nation’s legal instruments. e-SIGNED DCI KT Udo Service Public Relations Officer Service Headquarters, Abuja.”
