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Immigration Service To Probe Errant Officers Over Passport Delays

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The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mrs Caroline Adepoju, on Saturday, ordered an from investigation into multiple complaints levelled against some of its officers over “noncompliance with ministerial directives on timeline passport administration.”

 

 

Adepoju, who expressed deep concerns over complaints of misconduct levelled against the service’s personnel in some passport offices nationwide, disclosed appropriate phone numbers for Nigerians to report any form of misconduct by any personnel for appropriate sanctions.

 

The service’s Public Relations Officer, Dotun Aridegbe, revealed this in a statement he signed on Saturday titled, ‘Alleged unprofessional conducts at passport offices.’

 

Aridegbe noted that “the Comptroller General has ordered an investigation into the matter, especially in regards to the noncompliance with Ministerial directives on the timeline of passport administration.”

 

According to the CGI, the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on October 4, announced a new timeline of two weeks for processing and issuance of passport following the complete clearance of passport application backlogs nationwide.

 

Therefore, she presented additional phone numbers for the public to report misdemeanors by NIS personnel at any of its offices, saying, “We are not only ready to answer your calls but resolve issues.”

 

Adepoju said the Service Spokesperson can be reached on 08028320751, and the Special Adviser on SERVICOM can be contacted on 08067761196.

 

The public can also reach the NIS Contact Center on 09121900655, 09121556359 and 09121477092 to its X and Facebook handles, @nigimmigration, Adepoju added.

 

She assured citizens that “The Service has, on a daily basis, monitored the compliance level at all passport offices nationwide and at our missions abroad.

 

“We receive daily reports on production and issuance of Passports from all Passport Control Officers.

 

“As of today, Friday, October 13, 2023, most of our passport offices are producing passports of applicants enrolled on Wednesday, October 11, 2023.”

 

Nonetheless, the immigration chief appealed to citizens to be patient, given that the re-issuance of lost Passport and change of data takes longer to process due to security clearance.

 

“The Service wishes to use this opportunity to enlighten the general public that applications for re-issuance of lost Passport and change of data takes a longer time.

 

“Some applicants in this category may put the Service in bad light when they complain of delay and noncompliance with the new timeline.

 

“These applications are required to go through security clearance and correspondence with Service Headquarters before approval for production,” Adepoju explained.

 

The Service urged prospective Passport applicants to visit its official website at immigration.gov.ng to apply for Passports and pay for their preferred Passport categories and avoid patronising individuals or entities that request cash payments for Passport services.

 

Addressing a press conference on October 4, the Interior Minister affirmed that the Immigration Service cleared the backlogs of 204,332 outstanding passports.

 

He emphasized that his Ministry and the NIS, alongside its service providers, are considering two weeks as the peg for passport issuance.

 

Tunji-Ojo said such a permanent arrangement will ensure that Nigerians no longer experience passport delays and backlogs.

International News

Transfer: Real Madrid , Cucurella Reach Verbal Agreement 

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Chelsea reliable defender, Marc Cucurella may join Spanish giant, Real Madrid before the end of the current transfer window.if information from transfer journalist, Fabrizio Romano are anything to go by.

 

Romano In a latest transfer update, said Real Madrid has reached verbal agreement to sign Marc Cucurella from Chelsea.

“Verbal agreement in place between all parties, player too — he’s the left back wanted by Mourinho” the update read.

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Hakimi, Vinicius Barred From Speaking Spanish At World Cup

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FIFA has come under scrutiny after several high-profile players, including Achraf Hakimi and Vinicius Junior, were discouraged from speaking Spanish during media engagements at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the United States.

 

The issue first surfaced ahead of Morocco’s Group C clash with Brazil when a Spanish-speaking journalist attempted to question Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi in Spanish.

Despite Hakimi, who grew up in Madrid and speaks the language fluently, indicating he was comfortable answering in Spanish, event officials reportedly insisted that questions be asked in English.

Hakimi attempted to reassure organizers that language would not be a barrier, but officials maintained that no Spanish translator was available for the session. A compromise was eventually reached, with the reporter asking the question in Spanish while Hakimi responded in English.

The controversy intensified during Brazil’s media session when Vinicius Junior was also interrupted while responding to a question in Spanish.

The Real Madrid forward, who is more comfortable speaking Portuguese or Spanish than English, was reportedly asked by organizers to switch languages.

Rather than continue in Spanish, Vinicius opted to answer in Portuguese before turning his attention back to Brazil’s World Cup preparations.

The incidents sparked widespread debate among journalists and fans, many of whom questioned why Spanish—a language spoken by millions across North America—was effectively restricted at a tournament being hosted largely in the United States.

According to Spanish media outlet El País, FIFA only provides Spanish-language translation services at World Cup press conferences involving Spanish-speaking nations such as Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Ecuador, and Paraguay.

For all other teams, questions and answers are expected to be conducted either in English or the official language of the participating country.

The policy has generated criticism online, with many supporters arguing that multilingual communication should be encouraged at a global event like the World Cup.

The backlash was particularly strong in Vinicius’ case, as the Brazilian forward appeared visibly uncomfortable being asked to communicate in English.

The controversy overshadowed what was otherwise a highly anticipated encounter between Brazil and Morocco, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

With the issue now drawing international attention, FIFA may face increasing calls to review its media language guidelines as the tournament progresses.

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It’s Illegal’…Falana’s Bombshell Indicts Govs, FG.

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Human rights advocate, Femi Falana, has warned federal and state governments against negotiating with and rewarding terrorists.

 

According to Falana, the practice is illegal.

He stated this while delivering the keynote address at the Amnesty International Second Annual General Meeting in Abuja on June 13, 2026.

Falana claimed it is public knowledge officials of the Federal Government and some State Governments have been holding meetings and negotiating with terrorists and bandits, which has led to thousands of ‘repentant’ criminals being forgiven and given cash gifts of undisclosed sums of money.

Asserting that the “satanic Boko Haram sect and similar bodies have been proscribed” under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, Falana insisted that “their members and allies shall be prosecuted and not pampered and forgiven by the Nigerian State.”

Highlighting the legal consequences, he quoted Section 22 of the Act, stating: “A person who knowingly—(a) arranges, manages, assists in arranging or managing, participates in a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, (b) collects, or provides logistics, equipment, information, articles or facilities for a meeting or an activity, which in his knowledge is concerned or connected with an act of terrorism or terrorist group, or (c) attends a meeting, which in his knowledge is to support a proscribed entity or to further the objectives of a proscribed entity, commits an offence, and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of at least 20 years.”

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