The Federal Government has ordered the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) to immediately withdraw and deactivate the international passports of individuals who have renounced their Nigerian citizenship.

Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, issued the directive on weekend in Abuja, clarifying that the measure applies specifically to those whose formal requests for renunciation have been approved by the President.

He explained that under the new order, any individual who has legally ceased to be a Nigerian national is prohibited from holding or using the country’s travel documents, as these are considered sovereign property. “Once a person ceases to be a citizen of Nigeria, he can no longer carry any sovereign document of Nigeria, including the nation’s passport,” the Minister stated.

Citing Section 29 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), Tunji-Ojo further explained that the ministry of Interior is exercising its constitutional mandate to protect citizenship integrity through this action.

In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Babatunde Alao, the minister pointed that the law stipulates that once the President registers a declaration of renunciation, the individual in question “shall cease to be a citizen of Nigeria.”

Dr Tunji-Ojo noted that the crackdown is a key component of the broader passport and visa reforms initiated by the government to tighten national security and verify the eligibility of document holders.

“We will continue to strengthen systems that secure Nigeria’s borders, prevent identity fraud, preserve the sanctity of Nigerian citizenship, and facilitate legitimate travel while preventing unauthorised or ineligible access,” he added.

The directive is expected to trigger a systematic audit of the NIS database to ensure that passports belonging to former citizens are electronically deactivated, preventing their use at border control points globally.