Most crimes abroad wrongly attributed to Nigerians — Interior minister 

• Tunji Ojo said inheriting data for renewal would eliminate the need for current measures, and citizens only need to upload pre-data documents once.

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has revealed that numerous foreigners hold Nigerian passports, leading to global humiliation and misattribution of crimes to Nigerian citizens.

The Minister expressed his views on Wednesday during his appearance on Arise Television’s Morning Show.

Tunji-Ojo emphasized that foreigners possessing Nigerian passports necessitates verification of pre-data documents, as the country’s passport integrity is compromised.

According to the Minister, passports must be readily available, serving as crucial security and sovereign documents for the country.

“Passport is beyond a travel document, it’s a security document. It’s a sovereign document of state. It belongs to the Nigerian government,” he stated.

“For us to confirm your Nigerian citizenship, we require a one-time upload of your certificate of origin,” he explained.

“This document is verified by Document Verification Officers (DVOs) across 774 local government areas, ensuring authenticity and citizenship validation.”

Tunji-Ojo lamented the global embarrassment caused by non-Nigerians holding Nigerian passports.

“Most crimes attributed to Nigerians abroad are actually committed by non-citizens carrying Nigerian passports,” he clarified.

“If you lack a certificate of origin, how can I verify your Nigerian citizenship?” he questioned.

“What evidence supports your claim of being a Nigerian?”

Tunji-Ojo proposed that inheriting data for renewal would eliminate current measures, requiring citizens to upload pre-data documents only once.

“So for me, I want to make passports easier, but not at the expense of national security or the country’s integrity. We must take drastic actions to sanitize the system,” he concluded.