Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A legal firm representing the Yesufu family has petitioned the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Minister of Interior, and the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), demanding a thorough investigation into the alleged illegal issuance of a second international passport to Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac, a suspect currently standing trial for alleged land fraud and forgery. The now-viral petition, dated June 10, 2026, was signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Olumide Olujinmi, on behalf of the petitioners, and has been brought to the attention of the anti-graft agency and the Ministry of Interior by human rights lawyer Femi Falana, who is leading the charge for accountability.
According to the petition, Godwin-Isaac, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Homadil Realty Limited, was issued a new international passport with number B51450551 on February 15, 2025, despite her earlier passport, numbered B00485650, allegedly being in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) while she awaited arraignment before the Federal High Court in Abuja. The petitioners argued that the issuance of another passport amounted to a breach of the Immigration Act, 2015, and bypassed existing security checks, litigation alerts, and biometric verification systems designed to prevent abuse of the passport system.
The suspect is currently facing prosecution by both the EFCC and the Nigeria Police Force before several courts in Nigeria on charges bordering on forgery of land documents and obtaining by false pretence. The underlying criminal trial involves a multi-count charge against Godwin-Isaac, her husband, and their corporate entities, with the EFCC alleging that the defendants forged land documents to defraud victims of properties worth billions of naira. The EFCC had earlier secured an order of the court requiring the suspect to deposit her international passport with the commission as a condition for bail, precisely to prevent her from fleeing the country.
The petition accused some officers within the NIS of compromising immigration procedures and undermining ongoing judicial processes. "This matter involves a brazen, institutionalised conspiracy executed with the active connivance of compromised elements within the Nigerian Immigration Service to systematically subvert the Nigerian criminal justice system," the petition read in part. The lawyers alleged that the new passport could have enabled the suspect to evade border control restrictions, despite claims that she was placed on a no-fly list by relevant authorities.
Addressing journalists at a press conference on behalf of the Initiative Against Human Rights Abuse and Torture (INAHURAT), human rights lawyer Barr. Maxwell Opara described the development as a serious breach of national security and a direct circumvention of a court order intended to restrict the defendant's international travel. He urged the Minister of Interior to immediately launch a forensic audit of NIS records to establish the full extent of the compromise.
In a significant development, the Nigeria Immigration Service has confirmed issuing the second passport to the suspect. NIS spokesman, Akinsola Akinlabi, made the admission on Wednesday while responding to allegations raised by INAHURAT. The service, however, did not provide a detailed explanation for the breach, raising further questions about the integrity of the country's passport issuance system and the effectiveness of internal controls designed to prevent such abuses.
The petitioners have urged the Minister of Interior and the Comptroller-General of Immigration to establish a ministerial panel of inquiry to investigate the circumstances surrounding the approval and processing of the passport, including the officers involved. They also requested that any persons found culpable face appropriate disciplinary and criminal action for alleged immigration fraud, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice. They further called for the review and possible cancellation of the passports in question across international border control databases.
INAHURAT has also called on the EFCC to apply to revoke the suspect's bail, citing the alleged breach of bail conditions. The group further requested that the Attorney-General of the Federation invoke powers under Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution to withdraw the case from police custody, appoint independent prosecutorial counsel, and direct a joint EFCC-NIS investigation into the passport's issuance. It also called for criminal charges against the defendant under Section 59 of the Immigration Act 2015, which addresses false statements and unlawful possession of multiple travel documents.
As of the time of this report, neither the EFCC, the Nigeria Immigration Service, nor representatives of Rebecca Omokamo Godwin-Isaac had issued an official response to the allegations. The development has once again raised concerns about the ease with which criminal suspects can circumvent judicial controls and the integrity of Nigeria's immigration and passport administration systems.
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