By Olukayode Idowu
Nigeria Immigration Service, (NIS) has distanced itself from complicity in the age racket of Ukpor David Nwanini who was taken to United Kingdom by the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and his wife for organ harvesting.
Nwanini, who is believed to be a minor was taken to UK by the couple with a passport claiming he was 21 years.
The bubble busted when he was found out at the hospital during surgical operation to harvest his liver for the daughters of the Ekweremadu couple that he was just 15 years instead of the claim in the passport that he was already 21 years.
This led to the arrest of Ekweremadu and his wife by UK authorities over allegations of organ harvest and trafficking of a minor, with a case already institution against them at the court.
In a statement at the weekend, the NIS said due process was followed in the issuance Nwanini’s passport.
A statement signed by the spokesman of the NIS, Amos Okpu, said that the notion making the rounds that the NIS did not properly vet the breeder documents issued by the applicant during his passport application are not only off the mark, but mere fabrications aimed at tarnishing the image of the service.
He said Nwamina applied and paid for the enhanced standard passport using the NIS portal after which he approached the Gwagwalada passport office in Abuja, on the 2nd November, 2021 for his interview.
He said the applicant equally presented all the necessary documents required, including his National Population Commission, (NPC), issued birth certificate, showing 12 October, 2000, as his date of birth; his National Identity Number (NIN) corroborating the date of birth on his birth certificate, issued by NIMC and a letter of introduction issued by Ebonyi state government liaison office situated at Maitama District Abuja, and a Guarantor’s form duly signed by one Mr. Uchechukwu Chukwuma Ogbonno to support his applicatiion.
The statement read: “The attention of the service has been drawn to the trending issue in connection with an alleged case of age falsification on a Nigerian Standard Passport issued by Nigeria Immigration Service to a Nigerian who is alleged to be at the centre of an investigation of the case of ‘organ harvesting’.
“The Service wishes to set the record straight by informing the general public that the suggestions that it did not properly vet the breeder documents issued by the applicant during his passport application are not only off the mark, but mere fabrications aimed at tarnishing the image of the Service.”
According to him, ,”The facts of the matter concerning the case are that the said Mr. David Ukpo Nwamina applied and paid for the enhanced standard passport using the NIS portal after which he approached the Gwagwalada Passport Office, FCT Abuja, on the 2nd November, 2021 for his interview. To support his application, Mr. Nwamina presented all the necessary documents required, including his National Population Commission (NPC) issued Birth Certificate, showing 12 October, 2000, as his date of birth; his National Identity Number (NIN) corroborating the date of birth on his birth certificate, issued by NIMC; a letter of introduction issued by Ebonyi State Government Liaison Office situated at Maitama District Abuja, and a Guarantor’s form duly signed by one Mr. Uchechukwu Chukwuma Ogbonno.”
He added that: “In view of the above, the general public may wish to be informed that the date of birth, or any other information for that matter, on any Nigerian passport is printed on the document only after a thorough vetting process that involves both physical and forensic examination of the applicant’s breeder documents. Mr. Nwamina’s case, therefore, was not different.”
He however assured that the NIS is commitment to protecting the integrity of the passport and therefore advice the general public to desist from making unfounded utterances as they are capable of denting the image of the Service.