18 Nigerians in pursuit of renewing passports defrauded in UK

Eighteen Nigerians in pursuit of renewing their passports were defrauded in the United Kingdom.

The Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, disclosed this in a statement, stated that the Nigerians paid between £200 and £350 to fraudsters.

The statement was endorsed by the Commission’s Head of Media and Public Relations, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, and named, ‘NIDCOM boss commends Nigerian Mission in UK for efforts at stopping passport racketeering’, on Tuesday.

It cited Dabiri-Erewa as lauding the Nigerian High Commission in the UK and new Nigerian High Commissioner to the UK, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola, for its intensive effort to end passport extortion in London.

The statement partly read, “Amb. Sarafa Tunji Isola upon resumption of duties held several strategic meetings with relevant staff of the mission to brainstorm on the best ways to address the incessant allegations of corruption and other negative reports on the issuance of the Nigerian passport in London as well as restoring the credibility of the mission in the process.

“These new efforts led to the discovery that 18 innocent Nigerians have paid between £200 and £350 to racketeers in their bid to urgently renew and acquire the Nigerian passport.

“The NIDCOM boss applauded the new Ambassador and his team in their quest to restore the mission’s credibility while urging Nigerian communities to always visit the mission on any matter concerning their stay in the UK and avoid patronizing touts.

“Dabiri-Erewa noted that the mission has confirmed the availability of sufficient passport booklets for deserving applicants.

“She joined the UK mission in appreciating the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Immigration Service for ensuring that adequate passport booklets are available at the High Commission.”