The Federal Government has said that no travel agency is authorised to procure passport for travelers.
This is in reaction to allegations that travel agency, Wakanow charges travelers exorbitant amounts to procure passports for travelers.
In a statement issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service on Wednesday, Comptroller General of Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede said the service does not charge the amount being collected by Wakanow from applicants.
“The attention of the Comptroller General of Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede MFR has been drawn to a certain publication on the Instagram page of one online platform known as Wakanowdotcom offering possible assistance to prospective Passport applicants to procure various categories of Passports for them at given sums of money.
“The publication stated that the organisation can procure the following categories of Passports for prospective applicants at the sums indicated;
“(A) 64-Page Five Years validity Passport at the sum of N57,000:00
“(B) 64-Page Ten Years validity Passport at the sum of N95,000:00
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“We wish to state categorically that Wakanowdotcom has no authorization whatsoever from us to charge and procure Passports for any applicant at such frivolous sums and that none of our Passports cost as much as the outrageous amounts stated in the said publication.
“The Comptroller General therefore, wishes to use this medium to advise prospective Passport applicants to kindly visit immigration.gov.ng to apply and pay online for the various categories of Passports of their choice and avoid patronising people/touts and or organisations who are out there to defraud them of their hard-earned money on the guise of procuring Passports for them,” the statement read.
