The Nigeria Immigration Service has denied allegations that it unlawfully issued a second international passport to Mrs. Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac while she was standing trial and in defiance of a court order, insisting that the passport in question was issued about four months before her arraignment before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
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In a press statement dated September 24, 2026, and signed by its Public Relations Officer, DCI Akinsola Akinlabi, the Service said reports suggesting that it issued a new passport to Godwin-Isaac “during trial” were false and created the misleading impression that the agency knowingly acted against a judicial directive.
According to the Service, Godwin-Isaac was first issued Nigerian Passport No. B00485650 on August 13, 2021, with an expiry date of August 12, 2026.
The NIS said that following an application for renewal and in line with existing laws and regulations permitting the issuance of another passport before the expiration of an existing one in circumstances including loss, damage, destruction or exhaustion of passport pages, it issued her a new passport, No. B51450551, on February 15, 2025.
The Service stressed that the February 2025 issuance automatically voided and invalidated the earlier passport issued in August 2021.
It further stated that, as of February 15, 2025, when the replacement passport was issued, no court order had been served on the Immigration Service either prohibiting the issuance of a passport to Godwin-Isaac or restricting her from travelling outside Nigeria.
The NIS maintained that, in the absence of a court order blacklisting an applicant or restricting international travel, it is legally required to issue a passport once the applicant satisfies the prescribed application, biometric, identity-verification and document-security requirements.
Godwin-Isaac was subsequently arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 18, 2025, in Charge Nos. FHC/ABJ/CR/76/2025 and FHC/ABJ/CR/77/2025, before Justice Joyce Obehi Abdulmalik.
The Immigration Service said the arraignment and the consequential order requiring Godwin-Isaac to deposit her international passport with the court came approximately four months after it had issued Passport No. B51450551.
According to the agency, Godwin-Isaac therefore had a responsibility, in complying with the court’s order, to disclose and surrender the current passport issued to her in February 2025 where required by the terms of her bail or any subsequent order.
The NIS said responsibility for disclosing and surrendering the passport rested with her as the defendant.
It consequently rejected the allegation that the Service issued a new passport to her “during trial.”
“The allegation that Service issued a new Passport to Mrs. Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac ‘during trial’ is completely unfounded,” the statement said.
The NIS expressed concern that the allegation could create an impression that it knowingly issued a passport to a person who had already been ordered by a court to surrender her travel document as part of bail conditions, thereby suggesting that the Service attempted to undermine the lawful order of the trial court.
The Service maintained that this was not what occurred.
The NIS also addressed Godwin-Isaac’s subsequent foreign trips, confirming that she travelled to Rwanda, Dubai and London after the February 2025 passport had been issued and after her arraignment before the Federal High Court.
It said, however, that it had received no communication from the Federal High Court, the prosecuting agency or any other competent authority directing that Godwin-Isaac be blacklisted, watchlisted or otherwise restricted from international travel.
The Service specifically stated that there was no such communication at the time the passport was processed and issued in February 2025.
According to the NIS, where a court or competent authority intends to restrict the international movement of an individual, the relevant order, directive or request must be formally communicated to the government agency responsible for implementing that restriction.
The Service stressed that timely notification is necessary to enable it to enforce travel restrictions effectively and to avoid any conflict with judicial directives.
It reaffirmed its commitment to institutional accountability, the rule of law and the integrity of Nigeria’s passport and border-management systems.
The NIS also said it remained committed to supporting the administration of justice, respecting the authority of the courts and operating Nigeria’s travel-document system in accordance with Nigerian law and applicable international standards.
The Service further pledged to cooperate fully with any lawful investigation into the matter and to make relevant records available to competent authorities whenever required.
The statement was electronically signed by DCI Akinsola Akinlabi, Service Public Relations Officer at the Nigeria Immigration Service Headquarters in Abuja.
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