A Nigerian lady named Favour Igiebor, who tore up her husband’s passport on the Murtala Muhammed Worldwide Airport, may face a jail time period as punishment for her actions if discovered responsible, in accordance with the Nigeria Immigration Service Act of 2015 (as amended).
The NIS had on Monday revealed that it had launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the destruction of a person’s passport by his spouse, recognized as Favour Igiebor, stating that she had been summoned for questioning.
In an announcement, the spokesperson for the NIS, Kenneth Udo, described Igiebor’s motion as a violation of Nigerian regulation.
The investigation was prompted by a viral video exhibiting Igiebor destroying a Nigerian Commonplace Passport, reportedly belonging to her husband, on the Murtala Mohammed Worldwide Airport in Lagos.
The NIS assertion partly learn, “The Nigeria Immigration Service has launched a proper investigation following the circulation of a video on social media exhibiting a feminine traveller destroying a Nigerian Commonplace Passport on the Murtala Muhammed Worldwide Airport, Lagos.
“The Nigeria Immigration Service stays steadfast in its dedication to upholding the provisions of the Immigration Act within the curiosity of nationwide safety and to preserving the dignity and integrity of the nation’s authorized devices.”
Amid the widespread condemnation of her motion, Igiebor, in one other viral video seen by our correspondent, defined that her motion was as a result of stress her husband had put her by.
She stated, “You must ask what occurred; don’t simply take a look at the motion alone. I’m not a mad lady who would simply come and act like that. I’ve my causes; I’ve gone by many issues.
“When it will get to your neck, you need to act. I didn’t need to make him undergo lots of stress; that’s why I waited until we bought to Nigeria to do it fairly than in Europe, the place I may have performed it. Don’t make feedback with out figuring out what occurred. I’ve gone by lots of household points right here and there.”
In response to his spouse’s latest video, the person who didn’t disclose his identify, stated he selected to stay silent as a result of he believed the difficulty may very well be resolved “as a household.”
“My spouse has posted one thing this morning. I don’t need to say something, however I’ll depart you to observe the video. It’s on numerous social media websites. I’ve the total clips.
“She didn’t know that I had somebody with my telephone as a result of my pal and I got here down right here to do some issues. I’ll submit the total clip. I by no means anticipated that she would come out and say what she stated. These are some issues that we will resolve as a household,” he stated.
Nevertheless, findings by PUNCH Metro point out that in accordance with Part 49 of the NIS 2015 Act (as amended), an individual discovered responsible of fixing or altering a passport might face imprisonment or a high quality. Nevertheless, there isn’t a part for punishment in case of destruction within the act.
The part reads, “An individual who alters or assists one other in altering a journey doc, or who produces or reproduces or assists within the manufacturing or copy of any journey doc with out lawful authority commits an offence below Part 59 of the Act and is liable on-conviction to a- time period of 5 years imprisonment or to a high quality of 1 million naira or each.”
In an interview with our correspondent on Monday, a human rights lawyer, Collins Aigbogun, acknowledged that there isn’t a part of the Act that explicitly outlines sanctions for passport destruction, emphasising that Part 49 of the Act solely specifies punishment for alteration.
He, nonetheless, famous that the spouse had violated her husband’s constitutional proper to freedom of motion.
“A passport is important for cross-border journey. Possessing a Nigerian passport will not be a privilege however a basic side of the appropriate to freedom of motion.
“When somebody destroys a passport, it infringes on the ancillary proper to freedom of motion granted to her husband by the structure. In essence, she has put that proper on maintain,” he stated.