Nigeria will revoke passports from people who renounce their citizenship

Minister of Home Affairs, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has directed the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to immediately revoke the passports of individuals who legally renounce Nigerian citizenship.

The Minister gave the directive in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Babatunde Alao,

Tunji-Ojo said the directive applies to Nigerians whose resignation requests have been approved by President Bola Tinubu.

He cited Article 29(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which stipulates that a statement of resignation must be registered by the President, after which a person is no longer a citizen.

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“Once a person ceases to be a citizen, they can no longer hold sovereign documents such as a Nigerian passport,” the minister said.

He noted that the move is in line with ongoing passport and visa reforms aimed at border security and fraud prevention.

“We are committed to securing Nigeria’s borders and ensuring only eligible citizens hold travel documents,” Tunji-Ojo said.