The Federal Government has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service to immediately withdraw and deactivate passports belonging to individuals who have officially renounced their Nigerian citizenship.

The order was issued by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and applies strictly to persons whose renunciation has been formally approved by the President. Once citizenship is legally terminated, such individuals will no longer be allowed to hold or use Nigerian travel documents.

In recent years, there have been concerns within Nigeria’s immigration system about gaps that allowed some individuals who had already renounced their citizenship to continue using Nigerian passports for international travel. This raised questions around identity control and document integrity.

The directive, now sent to the Nigeria Immigration Service, is part of broader reforms targeted at tightening passport issuance, improving identity management, and closing loopholes in the system.

Authorities say the move is also meant to strengthen border security and ensure that Nigerian passports are only used by legally recognized citizens.