The Nigerian Immigration Service, NIS has issued a statement on the recent ‘organ harvesting’ scandal rocking Ex-Deputy Senator, Ike Ekweremadu and his family.
It can be recalled that Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice were arrested in london last week on allegations of ‘Organ Harvesting’ after they reportedly brought a 15 year old boy to donate his Kidney to their ailing daughter.
The boy, David Nwamina, was alleged to have been trafficked to the United Kingdom for organ harvest by the Ekweremadu’s. The couple was arraigned at the Uxbridge Magistrate Court in London on charges of conspiracy and organ harvest on Thursday.
However photographs of Nwamina’s Nigerian passport went viral on social media over the weekend showing that he was born in October 2000, meaning he is 22 years old. This fueled speculations that the passport may have been fraudulently procured.
Reacting to the matter on Sunday, the Immigration Service denied reports that the passport issued to David was fraudulently procured.
The statement partly read; “The Service wishes to set the record straight by informing the general public that the views being expressed that the service did not properly vet the breeder documents issued by the applicant during his passport application process are not correct, but mere fabrications aimed at tarnishing the image of the Service.”
“The facts of the matter concerning the case above, therefore, are that the said Mr David Ukpo Nwamina applied and paid for the Enhanced e-passport using the NIS portal after which he approached the Gwagwalada Passport Office, FCT Abuja, on November 2, 2021 for his interview.”
Jere said David provided the needed documents and was duly assessed by the service.
He said, “To support his application, Mr Nwamina presented all the necessary documents required, including his birth certificate issued by National Population Commission, showing October 12, 2000, as his date of birth; his National Identity Number, issued by NIMC corroborating the date of birth; a certificate of origin issued by Ebonyi State Government Liaison Office Abuja, and a Guarantor’s form duly signed.”
“In view of the above, the general public may wish to be informed that the date of birth, or any other information, on any Nigerian passport is printed on the document only after a thorough vetting process that involves both the applicant’s breeder documents and the person. Mr Nwamina’s case, therefore, was not an exception.”
Jere, however, said the Service was committed to protecting the integrity of the Nigerian passport.
