The Federal High Court in Abuja has directed Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo and the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to ensure that applicants who meet all requirements for international passports receive them within six weeks.
The court stated that this timeline is feasible as it aligns with Section 9(4) of the Immigration Act 2015.
Justice Emeka Nwite gave the order while delivering judgment in a fundamental rights enforcement case filed by a Nigerian citizen, Benita Ngozi Ezumezu, against the NIS and the interior minister.
Ezumezu said she applied for a Nigerian international passport on October 6, 2022, and met all the requirements. However, she claimed that 14 weeks after submitting her application, the NIS still had not issued her the passport.
In the ruling on December 4, Justice Nwite dismissed the respondents’ arguments, supported the applicant’s claims, and granted all the requests made by the applicant.
Justice Nwite, who ordered the respondents to pay N3 million in damages to the applicant, stated that by October 6, 2022, Ezumezu had met all the requirements and was eligible to receive her passport within six weeks.
The judge also stated that the respondents’ failure to issue the applicant an international passport, 14 weeks after she met all the requirements, violated Section 9(4) of the Immigration Act 2015 and her right to freedom of movement.
He then ordered the first respondent (NIS) to immediately issue the applicant (Ezumezu) a passport, as required by Section 9(4) of the Immigration Act 2015.
