BENIN CITY, EDO STATE — A humanitarian and administrative crisis is unfolding at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) office in Benin City, as thousands of citizens face an indefinite stall in passport issuance following the abrupt “scrapping” of the state’s production center, Saharareporters gathered.
While the Federal Government recently moved toward a centralized production system in Abuja to “streamline” operations, the transition has reportedly left a staggering 10,000 passports gathering dust in Edo State.
This bottleneck has created a desperate environment where vulnerable citizens allege they are being forced to pay “priority fees” to the very officials meant to serve them.
The “Benin Tollgate”: Allegations of Systematic Extortion
Inside sources and frustrated applicants at the Benin City office have raised an alarm over the conduct of the Passport Control Officer (PCO), Mr. Oladimeji Oladeinde.
Despite a national mandate for a cashless and transparent process, applicants report a new, illegal price list active within the premises:
₦10,000 “file submission fee” just to have documents looked at. ₦20,000 “production fee” to move a passport toward printing.
”We are suffering in Benin City,” one applicant lamented. “They told us the production center is gone, yet they are asking for money under the table to make things happen. If the center is scrapped, where is our money going?”
A Regional Shutdown
The crisis in Edo follows a similar pattern observed last week in the Enugu axis, where production for Anambra and Abia states was reportedly dismantled.
With the removal of production capabilities in Benin City, Auchi, Asaba, and Warri, the entire South-South and South-East corridors are facing a document blackout, forcing millions to look toward Abuja for a service that was once available locally.
Oshiomhole, Tunji-Ojo Under Pressure to Intervene
The eyes of the Edo people are now fixed on Senator Adams Oshiomhole, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Interior.
As the primary oversight officer for the NIS, Oshiomhole is being called upon by his constituents to investigate why the PCO is allegedly withholding booklets and why a state with such high demand has been stripped of its production capacity.
Calls are also intensifying for the Honourable Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and the Comptroller General, Kemi Nanna Nandap, to:
Audit the Benin City Office: Account for the 10,000 pending booklets.
The authorities responsible for overseeing the (NIS) has been called upon to address the specific allegations of ₦10k and ₦20k illegal charges, provide a clear timeline for when Edo citizens will receive their documents without paying bribes.
As it stands, the “Renewed Hope” agenda of the current administration is being tested in Benin City, where a passport is no longer a right, but a commodity sold to the highest bidder.