fg Abolishes Payment Of Overstay Fees By Nigerians With Dual Citizenship

The Federal Government has directed the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) with immediate effect to put an end to the payment of fines by Nigerians holding dual citizenship at the nation’s International Airports.

Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar, Permanent Secretary, Federal ministry of interior in a statement said the Honorable Minister of Interior, Lt Gen. (rtd) Abdulrahman Dambazau, CFR, PhD, who stated this friday, in his Office in Abuja, said that the directives is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s resolve to make movement easy for Nigerians with dual citizenship to come into their father-land unhindered.

According to him, “as a new government policy, on no account should any Nigerian traveler holding dual citizenship pay fine for so-called overstay”.

He added that it was a crime to ask or pay any money in that regard and stressed that under the new policy, “citizens with dual nationality should only present both travelling documents of their countries of nationality to the immigration officials upon arrival and departure, regardless of whichever they are using to travel”.

Gen. Dambazau further explained that the NIS should ensure immediate compliance with the new government directives as government would sanction any Immigration official who is found collecting such fines henceforth.

Directing further that Nigerians with dual citizenship should report any Immigration official who imposes such charges on them to the appropriate authorities.

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