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A viral video captured the female traveller identified as Favour Igiebor destroying the Nigerian Standard Passport – said to belong to her husband – at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.
It was initially unclear why she took her action, but in a Monday statement, NIS spokesman Kenneth Udo said the incident violated the law.
"The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has launched a formal investigation following the circulation of a video on social media, showing a female traveller destroying a Nigerian Standard Passport at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos," the statement read.
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"The individual has been identified and invited for further investigation. If the allegations are substantiated, her actions would have constituted a breach of Section 10(b) of the Immigration Act 2015 (as amended), with corresponding penalties outlined under Section 10(h) of the same Act.
"The Nigeria Immigration Service remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding the provisions of the Immigration Act in the interest of national security and to preserving the dignity and integrity of the nation's legal instruments."
What is the punishment for passport mutilation?
The section of the Miscellaneous Provisions of the Immigration Act of 2015 enumerates the punishment for the mutilation of the Nigerian Passport as;
"A person who alters or assists another in altering travel document or who produces or, reproduces, or assists in the production or reproduction of any travel document without lawful authority, commits an offence under section 59 of then Act and is liable on conviction to a term of five years imprisonment or to a fine of One Million Naira or both.
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"A person guilty of an offence under the Act, where no specific penalty is provided, is liable on conviction to a term of one year imprisonment or a fine of One Hundred Thousand Naira or both and the Court may, if it thinks fit, order the deportation of the offender."
