The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has restated its zero tolerance policy for the collecting of unlawful passport payments.

According to Tony Akuneme, the Public Relations Officer for the Comptroller of Immigration, 80 policemen are on trial for extortion and 8 others have been sacked in the previous year.

He stated that the sanction was part of Comptroller General Isah Jere’s three-point agenda of passport reform, border security, and officer welfare.

According to the spokesperson, the CG’s efforts resulted in the majority of applicants booking online for passports, which was not the case previously.

“You don’t need anybody, whether immigration officers or agents which we usually call touts. They are still third parties,” he told NAN.

“We have continued to punish officers and men who try to assist people for a fee. You can assist genuinely but not extorting from them.

Akuneme lamented that “learned and civilized persons” typically rely on third parties to handle their application processing.

According to the PRO, this can occasionally lead to problems like an incorrect National Identification Number (NIN), among other things.

The NIS advised applicants to complete their forms in person and added that there are officers assigned to watch out for dishonest employees.

When people are being extorted abd the Immigration authorities fail to respond, Akuneme advises them to “tell the world.”