Tension is mounting across Nigeria’s South East following reports that the region’s primary passport production centre, located at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) zonal headquarters in Enugu, is being dismantled.
The move, allegedly directed by the Federal Ministry of Interior under Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has raised fears of a major disruption to travel services for thousands of citizens across five states.
Sources within the Nigeria Immigration Service, speaking on condition of anonymity, disclosed to our correspondent that a technical team arrived from Abuja earlier today to begin dismantling key passport production machinery.
The facility currently serves as the central processing hub for Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo states. It is the only center in the region equipped for emergency passport issuance and high-volume production.
“If these machines are removed, local passport issuance in the South East effectively ends,” one source stated. “Applicants with urgent travel needs will be forced to travel to Abuja or other regions, adding a massive financial and logistical burden on the people.”
The news has sent shockwaves through the applicant community. Many with immediate deadlines for medical trips, international studies, or business travel fear that centralized processing in Abuja will lead to a repeat of the “passport crisis” era, characterized by long delays and extortion.
Beyond the logistical nightmare, observers argue that the move undermines the federal government’s policy on ease of doing business and regional decentralization of essential services.
Stakeholders and community leaders in the South East are already sounding the alarm. There are growing calls for members of the National Assembly from the region to urgently engage with the Minister of Interior to clarify the status of the facility.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the Ministry of Interior nor the Nigeria Immigration Service headquarters has issued an official statement. This lack of communication has fueled speculation that the move is a permanent policy shift rather than a temporary technical upgrade.
For now, the South East remains on edge, awaiting a formal explanation for the sudden withdrawal of a critical federal service.
