The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has clarified the circumstances surrounding the issuance of a Nigerian passport to Mrs Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac, rejecting reports that the document was issued during her criminal trial or in defiance of a Federal High Court order.
The Service said its records show that the disputed passport, numbered B51450551, was issued to Godwin-Isaac on February 15, 2025 — about four months before she was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja on June 18, 2025.
According to the NIS, Godwin-Isaac had previously been issued passport number B00485650 on August 13, 2021, with an expiry date of August 12, 2026.
The Service said she subsequently applied for the reissuance of the passport on February 5, 2025, and submitted the required documentation.
NIS said the application underwent the required processing, including identity verification and biometric checks, after which passport B51450551 was issued on February 15, 2025.
The Service added that the issuance of the new passport automatically cancelled the earlier passport, B00485650, in its records.
NIS further stated that it had not been served with, or formally notified of, any court order, watchlist instruction or other lawful restriction preventing the issuance of a passport to Godwin-Isaac or restricting her international travel as of February 15, 2025.
Godwin-Isaac was later arraigned before the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Charge Nos. FHC/ABJ/CR/76/2025 and FHC/ABJ/CR/77/2025 on June 18, 2025.
The Immigration Service said the order requiring her to deposit her passport with the court was therefore made after the disputed passport had already been issued.
It consequently rejected the suggestion that it issued passport B51450551 while Godwin-Isaac was on trial or in defiance of a subsequent court order.
The Service, however, said any question concerning whether Godwin-Isaac complied with a later court order requiring her to deposit her passport remains a matter for the court and other competent authorities.
NIS also said its records indicate that Godwin-Isaac subsequently travelled to Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom after her arraignment.
According to the Service, it had not received any court order, watchlist instruction or other lawful notification directing it to restrict her international travel at the relevant times.
The clarification comes after reports and petitions raised questions about how Godwin-Isaac obtained and used another passport while her earlier passport was reportedly in custody in connection with her court proceedings. The allegations had also prompted an investigation by the Interior Ministry.
The NIS said timely and formal communication of court orders or other lawful travel restrictions is necessary for the Service to implement such directives through its border-management and travel-control systems.
The Service said it remains committed to institutional accountability, the rule of law and the integrity of Nigeria’s passport and border-management systems.
It also pledged to cooperate with any lawful investigation into the circumstances surrounding the passport’s issuance and to make relevant records available to competent authorities where required.
Source: Nigeria Immigration Service Headquarters, Abuja
Date: September 25, 2026
