About 2,400 foreigners attempted to acquire Nigerian passport with fake NIN – Minister

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has said that the Ministry recently uncovered 2,400 non-Nigerians attempting to acquire the country’s international passport with fake National Identification Numbers (NIN).

The Minister disclosed this on Thursday when the President and Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Forensics and Certified Fraud Investigators of Nigeria, Dr. Illiyasu Gashinbaki, led his team on a courtesy visit to him in Abuja.

While noting that the prevalence of identity theft in Nigeria is becoming alarming, Tunji-Ojo emphasized that identity management is key to safeguarding the nation’s national security architecture.

According to the Minister, unearthing the truth about identities is crucial for addressing critical issues. Lamenting that many non-Nigerians are holding the country’s documents, Tunji-Ojo said,

“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,” Tunji-Ojo said.