ABUJA, Nigeria: The federal government of Nigeria has ordered the immediate withdrawal and deactivation of travel passports belonging to individuals who have officially renounced their Nigerian citizenship.
Nigeria’s Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, issued the directive to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) on Saturday, April 11, 2026, at 8:00 AM West African Time (WAT, GMT+1). The order specifically targets people whose requests to drop their citizenship have received formal approval from the President of Nigeria.
Alao Babatunde, the Special Adviser on Media to the Minister of Interior, explained that the new policy relies on Section 29 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This section states that any citizen of full age who decides to give up their Nigerian nationality must make a formal declaration.
“The President shall cause the declaration made under subsection (1) of this section to be registered and upon such registration, the person who made the declaration shall cease to be a citizen of Nigeria,” the constitution provides.
Okay News reports that Minister Tunji-Ojo emphasized that after a person loses their Nigerian citizenship, they no longer have the right to possess any sovereign document of the nation, which includes the national passport. This recent directive is part of a larger series of passport and visa policy reforms that the Ministry of Interior has implemented over the past few years to improve the security of the West African country.
The Minister stated that the primary goal of this action is to enhance border protection and stop identity fraud.
“We will continue to strengthen systems that secure Nigeria’s borders, prevent identity fraud, preserve the sanctity of Nigerian citizenship, and facilitate legitimate travel while preventing unauthorized or ineligible access,” he said.
