The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has dismissed reports that it issued a fresh Nigerian passport to Mrs Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac while she was facing criminal proceedings or in defiance of a Federal High Court order restricting her movement.
The Service, in a statement issued on Friday by its Public Relations Officer, DCI Akinsola Akinlabi, said its records showed that the passport at the centre of the controversy, No. B51450551, was issued to Godwin-Isaac on February 15, 2025—about four months before her arraignment before the Federal High Court, Abuja.
According to the NIS, Godwin-Isaac had previously been issued Passport No. B00485650 on August 13, 2021, with an expiry date of August 12, 2026.
It said she subsequently applied on February 5, 2025, for reissuance of the passport to extend its validity and submitted the applicable requirements.
“Following the processing of that application and having satisfied the requirements including applicable identity-verification and biometric requirements, Passport No. B51450551 was issued to her on 15th February 2025,” the Service said.
It explained that upon issuance of the new passport, the earlier Passport No. B00485650 was cancelled in its records and ceased to be valid for international travel.
The Immigration Service further stated that there was no court order, watchlist instruction or other lawful restriction formally communicated to it as of February 15, 2025, prohibiting the issuance of a passport to Godwin-Isaac or restricting her international travel.
The clarification comes against the backdrop of reports questioning how the passport could have been issued amid subsequent criminal proceedings and a court order requiring her to deposit her passport with the court.
However, the NIS said the chronology of events contained in its records did not support the allegation that it issued the passport during the pendency of her trial or in defiance of the court.
Godwin-Isaac was arraigned before the Federal High Court, Abuja, on June 18, 2025, in Charge Nos. FHC/ABJ/CR/76/2025 and FHC/ABJ/CR/77/2025.
The Service noted that the order requiring her to deposit her passport with the court was therefore made after Passport No. B51450551 had already been issued.
It stressed that any issue concerning Godwin-Isaac’s compliance with the subsequent court order was separate from the question of whether the NIS issued the passport in breach of that order.
“The Service considers it appropriate that questions concerning compliance with the terms of any bail or other judicial order remain matters for determination by the Court and other competent authorities,” it said.
The NIS also disclosed that its records showed that Godwin-Isaac subsequently travelled to Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom after her arraignment.
According to the Service, it had not received, at the relevant times, any court order, watchlist instruction or other lawful notification from the Federal High Court, the prosecuting agency or another competent authority directing it to restrict her international travel.
It explained that where a court or competent authority imposes a restriction requiring implementation by the Immigration Service, formal and timely communication of the order or directive is necessary for the Service to activate the appropriate border-management and travel-control systems.
The Service said it recognised the seriousness of the controversy and remained committed to institutional accountability, the rule of law and the integrity of Nigeria’s passport and border-management systems.
It also pledged to cooperate with any lawful investigation into the circumstances surrounding the issuance of the passport and make relevant records available to the appropriate authorities, subject to applicable law.
The clarification effectively places the dispute within two separate timelines: the issuance of the passport in February 2025, before the June 2025 arraignment and subsequent court order, and the question of whether the holder complied with restrictions imposed by the court thereafter.
The NIS reiterated that it would continue to support the administration of justice, respect the authority of the courts and administer Nigeria’s travel-document and border-management systems in accordance with Nigerian law.
