Dr Ama Onyerinma
Dear Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, It was announced that the Federal Government of Nigeria through a circular dated June 10, 2020, with reference number BW/20/CIR.LET/III/2020 intends to adopt a new COVID-19 measure of retaining the passports of all in-bound travellers except those with diplomatic immunity.
Whilst I am certain this policy was thoroughly evaluated prior to its release, it is worrisome that passports which are the legal property of the issuing country would be taken from the legally assigned bearer which is a violation of their rights. It is true that Nigeria is a sovereign country thus it can dictate the immigration guidelines and withhold the passports of its citizens but it cannot take the passport of international travellers without the permission of the issuing country.
It is most concerning that at a time when we strive to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, hundreds of thousands of passports shall be collected and co-mingled whilst the rightful owners self-isolate for a two-week period then prove they are COVID-19 negative, in order to retrieve their identity documents, which could have become contaminated through handling by government agents.
Furthermore, the issue of safeguarding these properties whilst in the custody of the Nigeria Immigration Service has yet to be addressed. Where shall these travel documents which are the sole identification for the travellers be housed? Who shall have access to them? What is the guarantee that errant acts shall not occur during the confiscation period which would not compromise the holder at a later date of travel? At a time of heightened cybercrime and identity theft, assurances are necessary for all who shall endure this episode because their work necessitates residency in Nigeria.
