A bill seeking to impose a 10-year ban on the issuance of international passports to Nigerians convicted of crimes abroad and subsequently deported has passed second reading at the Senate.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the passage of the bill during the plenary on Tuesday after a majority of the senators supported it through voice votes.
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Following its passage, the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Interior for further deliberations and a public hearing.
The committee was directed to report back within four weeks.
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The bill, which seeks to amend the Passport (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, was sponsored by Bello Abubakar, the senator representing Niger North Senatorial District, but was presented by Ogoshi Onawo (PDP, Nasarawa) during the plenary.
Mr Onawo, while leading the debate, argued that Nigerians who use the country’s passport to commit crimes abroad embarrass the nation and damage its international image.
“The implication of the proposed amendment is that where a Nigerian commits any of the foregoing offences in a foreign country and is convicted for the crime, the international passport of the convict would be withdrawn for 10 years. This measure serves as a veritable deterrent to the commission of crime in a foreign country,” he said.
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He added that the measure would help redeem, preserve, and elevate Nigeria’s image internationally.
“This proposed amendment will redeem, preserve and elevate the image and integrity of our dear country. It is also an opportunity for us to demonstrate our commitment to good governance and stance against crimes and criminality.
“The commission of crimes by Nigerians in foreign jurisdictions has dealt a crashing blow to the reputation and image of Nigeria, and is costing us stupendous disgrace in the diplomatic community and in international transits. It projects Nigerians as personae non grata to whom foreign visas are restricted or denied, with negative effect to our national interest,” he said.
Mr Onawo listed countries such as China, Turkey, Canada, France, Egypt, Germany, Ethiopia, South Africa, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates as destinations that now apply stringent visa restrictions to Nigerians due to the criminal actions of a few.
Prominent Nigerians jailed abroad
Over the years, several prominent Nigerians, including politicians, public officials, and celebrities, have been convicted and jailed in the United Kingdom and the United States for various criminal offences ranging from fraud and money laundering to human trafficking. Their convictions have often generated national debates about corruption, image, and accountability.
Ike Ekweremadu, former deputy senate president, was jailed in 2023 in the UK for 9 years for an organ-trafficking offence after he attempted to bring a vulnerable man from Lagos for a kidney transplant.
James Ibori, a former Governor of Delta State was jailed in the UK in 2012 for 13 years for fraud and money laundering involving millions of pounds stolen from state funds.
A Social media influencer, Ramon Abbas, popularly known as Hushpuppi, was jailed in the US in 2022 for five years for fraud and identity theft, including defrauding US unemployment benefit programmes.
Harassment and discrimination abroad
The lawmaker also lamented that law-abiding Nigerians now face harassment and discrimination in foreign countries because of the tarnished reputation of the green passport.
“As a consequence of the injury to the integrity of our country from crimes by our citizens in foreign jurisdictions, innocent and patriotic Nigerians suffer harassment in international transits, denial and hardship in visa applications, discrimination and negative stereotype in social dealings, costs and distress.”
He stressed that the National Assembly has a constitutional duty to legislate for the peace, order, and good governance of the country, stating that tightening passport laws would help discourage Nigerians from engaging in criminal activities abroad.
“The green passport is widely discountenanced and the sovereign pride it intrinsically bears has severely diminished. That is nothing less than a state of emergency. The Legislature is mandated, under Section 4 of the Constitution, with lawmaking for the peace, order and good governance of Nigeria. The extant law on the Passport (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act is good, but good is the enemy of better.
“It would do better if amended with provisions that impose an extra layer of deterrents to the commission of crime by our citizens in foreign countries. It would demonstrate responsibility on our part to discourage the perpetration of crime by our citizens and to redeem the image of our country.”
Support from lawmakers
Supporting the bill, Babangida Hussaini (Jigawa North-West) called for stricter controls in passport issuance to prevent foreigners from illegally acquiring Nigerian passports.
“Nigerians of all shades and colours are being disrespected in foreign lands because of the ease of acquiring Nigerian passports. In some cases, crimes committed by foreigners are attributed to Nigerians simply because they carry our passports.
“We must reclaim the dignity of the green passport. When non-Nigerians use it to commit crimes, and Nigerians are profiled for it, that is an injustice to our people,” he said.
The Senate President also endorsed the bill, citing instances where the country’s image was unfairly tarnished due to the misuse of its passports.
He recalled a case in Dubai where a group of black men committed robbery using Nigerian passports, but were later discovered not to be Nigerians.
“This bill will help tighten the process of passport issuance and ensure that those who mess up the country’s image abroad face the consequences. Any Nigerian who tarnishes our image should not only face imprisonment abroad but also lose their passport for at least 10 years,” Mr Akpabio said.
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“I applauded this bill when I first read it, because it speaks to preserving the integrity and international reputation of our nation. So as this bill, when it goes through public hearing and all, and comes back to us, and we send it to Mr. President for assent, and the concurrence of our colleague in the House of Representatives who helped to cope such incidents, who tightened the ways and manner in which Nigerian passports circulate in the hands of foreigners, and also where a Nigerian goes to mess up the image of the country, such a Nigerian should not just go to prison and be deported to Nigeria.
“Such a person should actually lose an international passport for at least 10 years, or 10 to 20 years, to serve as a deterrent,” he added
If passed, the law will make Nigeria one of the few African countries with domestic legislation sanctioning citizens convicted of crimes in a foreign jurisdiction.
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