By Our Reporter
Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has declared that the Ministry recently discovered that no fewer than 2,400 non-Nigerians attempted to acquire the country’s international passport with fake National Identification Numbers (NIN).
Tunji-Ojo stated this on Thursday when the President and Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria, CIFCIN, Dr. Illiyasu Gashinbaki, and his team paid the minister a courtesy visit in Abuja.
While observing with concern that the prevalence of identity theft in Nigeria is becoming alarming, he acknowledged that identity management is pivotal to safeguarding the country’s national security architecture.
On the issue of foreigners with Nigerian documents
The Minister noted that revealing the truth about identities had become important in addressing critical matters.
While expressing dissatisfaction that many non-Nigerians are in possession of the country’s documents, Tunji-Ojo explained that, “The integrity of our documents is crucial for national pride and security. Many individuals holding Nigerian documents are not Nigerians.
“For instance, we recently arrested a British Airways crew member with a Nigerian passport procured in London, who turned out to be Ugandan.
“Recently, we also uncovered 2,400 non-Nigerians with fake National Identity Numbers attempting to acquire Nigerian passports.
“This passport symbolizes our sovereignty and identity as Nigerians.”
He highlighted the two key responsibilities of the Interior Ministry including enhancing national security and preserving citizenship integrity.
He pointed out that Nigeria must build the capacity to conduct forensic analysis domestically without the need to travel abroad for such services.
Tunji- Ojo stressed the Ministry’s commitment to giving necessary support to the institute while enhancing the integrity of national documents.
On Nigeria’s reputation, the Interior minister said that Nigerians were among the most law-abiding people he had seen, noting that, “With over 200 million citizens, our correctional centers house about 70,000 inmates, including approximately 25,000 convicted individuals.
“This simply means that only 0.035% of Nigerians are in custody, reflecting the law-abiding nature of the vast majority. But unfortunately, the actions of a few have tarnished our national image,” he said.
Tunji-Ojo added that through collaboration with the institute, the ministry aimed to uphold the highest standards of document verification and forensic analysis to protect and serve the nation better.
Earlier, Gashinbaki pointed out that the purpose of the visit was to express the institute’s desire for continued partnership with the ministry to serve the nation better. He said that the goal of the institute was to establish independent laboratories to conduct forensic analysis to ensure impartiality and adherence to scientific protocols in legal cases.
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