Court Fines Immigration Service N2m Over Handling Of Peter Odili’s Passport Case

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has awarded the cost of N2 million against the Nigerian Immigration Service for the unsatisfactory manner it has handled the case involving the international passport of the former governor of Rivers state, Peter Odili.

Justice Inyang Ekwo gave the ruling on Tuesday citing the behavior of the NIS lawyer, J.A. Adamu towards the court’s directives in the case.

Recall that the NIS had instituted a motion before the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja seeking a stay of execution on the judgement delivered by Ekwo which ordered the service to immediately release the international passport of the former governor.

On the 18th of October, 2021, the Court, in a suit filed by Odili against the NIS and its Comptroller General, ordered the immediate release and return of his International Passport with number B50031305.

Ekwo had also ordered the NIS to write an apology to Odili for the unlawful seizure of his International Passport as well as the embarrassment meted to him.

About 37 days after the court judgment, the NIS on November 23 told the court to stay execution because it had appealed the judgment.