NIS SAYS PASSPORT ISSUED TO REBECCA GODWIN-ISAAC 4 MONTHS BEFORE HER COURT RESTRICTION

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has clarified the circumstances surrounding the issuance of a Nigerian passport to Mrs. Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac, saying the document was issued approximately four months before she was arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

According to the Service, Passport No. B51450551 was issued to Godwin-Isaac on February 15, 2025, following an application for reissuance submitted on February 5. Her arraignment before the Federal High Court, Abuja, took place on June 18, 2025.

The NIS explained that Godwin-Isaac had previously been issued Passport No. B00485650 on August 13, 2021, with an expiry date of August 12, 2026. It said the earlier passport was cancelled in its records after the new document was issued and therefore ceased to be valid for international travel.  

The Immigration Service further stated that, as of February 15, 2025, it had not received or been formally notified of any court order, watchlist instruction or other lawful restriction preventing Godwin-Isaac from obtaining a passport or travelling outside Nigeria.

The Service said the court order requiring her to deposit her passport was made after the new passport had already been issued. It therefore rejected reports suggesting that it issued the document while she was already undergoing trial or in defiance of a court directive.  

The NIS, however, distinguished the passport-issuance issue from the question of compliance with the subsequent court order. It said responsibility for disclosing and surrendering the passport, where required by the terms of her bail or a later judicial order, rested with Godwin-Isaac as the defendant.

The Service also disclosed that its records showed that Godwin-Isaac subsequently travelled to Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom after her arraignment. It maintained that no formal directive restricting her international movement had been communicated to the Service at the relevant times.  

The clarification follows earlier reports and allegations questioning how the second passport was obtained while criminal proceedings were pending. The NIS said it remained committed to the rule of law and the integrity of Nigeria’s passport and border-management systems, adding that it would cooperate with any lawful investigation into the matter.