“I have no direct contact with applicants” — PCO
By Becky Adi
Allegations of fraud, favouratism and passport booklet hoarding are currently rocking Kogi State office of the Nigerian Immigration Service office investigation by Daybreak newspaper has revealed
At the Centre of the fraud allegation is one Friday Agada, the Passport Control Officer, PCO.
Multiple sources who spoke to Daybreak newspaper alleges that the passport officer was extorting huge sums of money from applicants before they can obtain passport, even when they have paid the official fees.
Mr. Fred Akinwumi who spoke to Daybreak newspaper said that before an applicant can collect his passport in the Lokoja office of the Nigerian immigration Service he his forced to pay an additional sum of 30000 which is outside the official cost of the passport, failure to pay would mean the application would not get his passports for months.
“yes I am saying this categorically, if you fail to pay your passport would not be realised to you and your application can be sitting there for months while those that are willing to pay get express service. Friday Agada would hold on to it until you pay under the pretex that there are no booklet. I am one of his victim. When I went to collect my passport I saw a huge pile of people’s passport he is holding onto whereas he is telling them that their passport is not ready all because they refused to pay. What kind of a country is this. The leadership of the immigration office cannot say they are not aware of what is happened because he makes no attempt to hide what he is doing. It is racteering at the highest level.
The level of fraud in Nigeria is increasingly hard to explain what is happening now in the Immigration office in Kogi State is a typical example of corruption in public service”
Another victim who spoke to Daybreak newspaper on condition of anonymity said that excuse of shortage of booklet was regular and an attempt to extort applicants because once you are willing to pay the booklet automatically appears and you are issued your passport.
“They tell you that there is shortage of booklets even when you have made the official payments months earlier but you can get your passport in few days if you are willing to pay the extra N30,000 immediately.
The situation is ugly I know of a young man who was billed to travel out to attend a European football club trial few days ago. They refused to release his passport on time and by the time it was released to him it was too late, he missed the opportunity.
Several businessmen are suffering as a result of the unwholesome practices going on here. The immigration authorities in Abuja should investigate this matter properly and arrest this ugly trend”.
One of the staff of the office who craved anonymity also revealed to Daybreak that as at last week, over 300 passport booklet were issued to the passport office but only about 10 of those who had applied months earlier were able to collect their passport due to favorism, and the rest were issued out to those who paid the extra fees.
Reacting to the accusation, the PCO Nigerian Immigration Office, Lokoja Kogi State. Mr. Friday Agada denied the allegation. Stating that he doesn’t have direct contact with any applicant, “I have never done that, any applicant that said I collected money should come forward or bring them to confront me. As a PCO I don’t ask any body for money, I heard a story like that I called all my passports officers I told them that anybody that is caught collecting extra money for passport is on his own.
I told them an investigator will come and if anyone is caught the person will be arrested and once you are arrested your uniform is off. I surmon them last week everyone under me directly and other sectional heads” He said.
He noted that some applicants are in the habit of trying to cut corners and in the process start offering monies to touts.
“they want to cut corners they will meet the boys and discus with them because they are eager to collect passport without following the normal procedures.
I hard someone collected extra N30,000 from someone I was surprised and I summoned all of them on Friday and I addressed the issue” He said.
On delay in the issuance of passport he said that there are occasion that demands that passports may be issued to some individuals before others
” sometimes there is a call from service headquarters either admin or someone who is medically ill that needs an attention, like now I have about 20 booklet in store. I am not supposed to use all the booklet because there are some emergency situations that need a passport immediately,. In Kogi state we only receive 300 booklet monthly and we follow it logically, day by day on first come first serve basis”. He said.
A call put through to the Service Public Relations Officer Deputy Comptroller James Sunday expressed shock at the allegation, he however noted that if it is proven that the Kogi State office has been illigally collecting money from applicants in excess of the official fees it would be thoroughly investigated and anyone found guilty would be punished.
He equally accused passport applicants as a major part of the problem saying that the giver and the taker are both guilty of the same crime and advice passport applicants to desist from offering bribes to Immigration Officers to expidite processing of their passport as the Comptoller General of the Immigration Service has put all necessary measures in place to ensure ease of obtaining Nigerian passport.
