The Nigeria Immigration Service warned on Monday that any alternative passport application platforms should be treated as fraudulent, saying its official website is the only authorised place for passport-related applications and payments. The agency said all applications are processed through its portal, and that the system operates strictly through the official channel.
In Abuja, Service Public Relations Officer Akinsola Akinlabi said websites or agents claiming to help Nigerians pay for a passport outside the approved platform should be ignored. Any payment made through unauthorised channels would be at the applicant's risk, he said, adding that the service does not recognise alternative payment options for passport applications or related services.
The warning comes as allegations circulate online that a religious organisation may be linked to the passport payment process. The NIS said those claims are false and said it has begun investigating where the misinformation came from. It also said no religious organisation, private entity or individual has been partnered with or authorised to act as an intermediary or receiving account on its behalf.
The service said its passport process remains a secure, transparent and government-approved system available only through its official portal, and that it works only with licensed and accredited payment service providers listed there. It also repeated that the portal is the only recognised gateway for payments and processing for applicants in Nigeria and abroad.
The dispute matters because passport applications are a basic public service, and any confusion over where money is paid or who is authorised to collect it can expose applicants to fraud. For now, the service is telling Nigerians to trust only the official portal and to use its verified communication channels on X, Instagram and Facebook at @nigimmigration if they need help.
