The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) says it has launched a formal investigation into the destruction of the Nigerian passport at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
Videos of a female traveller purportedly destroying her husband’s passport at the airport began circulating on social media on Saturday.
In the clips, torn pieces of the passport are seen strewn on the floor, as someone confronts the woman about her action.
“I tore it,” she replied in Pidgin English. “Is it yours?”
Moments later, the lady yells at her husband: “If you want to sleep there, you sleep there.”
She then struts away with her son and daughter as her husband stands forlorn with a baby in a stroller.
In another video explaining her actions, the woman insisted that she did nothing wrong, alleging that she has been oppressed by her husband for a while.
She asked that people get her side of the story, before jumping into conclusions.
“The individual has been identified and invited for further investigation,” NIS said.
“If the allegations are substantiated, her actions would have constituted 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.”
According to a statement issued by the NIS Service Public Relations Officer, DCI Kenneth Udo on Monday in Abuja disclosed this.
He said the individual has been identified and invited for further investigation.
“If the allegations are substantiated, her actions would have constituted 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”, he stated.