The Minister of Interior, Mr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has ordered an investigation into the alleged issuance of a second Nigerian passport to an Abuja based realtor, Ms. Rebecca Godwin-Isaac, who is currently standing trial before the Federal High Court, Abuja, on charges of land fraud, forgery and money laundering.
The directive followed a petition by lawyers representing the complainant family, who have questioned how the defendant was able to travel out of Nigeria while her passport remained in the custody of the court as a condition of her bail.
An invitation letter dated 31 August showed that the Director of Legal Services at the Ministry of Interior, Mrs. Eva Omotese, invited the lawyers to a meeting with the Permanent Secretary, Mrs. Magdalene Ajani.
The meeting, which had originally been fixed for an earlier date, was rescheduled.
“I am directed to inform you that the meeting earlier scheduled with the Permanent Secretary has been rescheduled. The meeting is now scheduled to be held on Friday, 4th September 2026,” the letter stated.
At the meeting, the Permanent Secretary is said to have informed the lawyers that the Minister had directed her to look into the complaint.
She indicated that the ministry would examine the matter itself rather than simply refer it to the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and that it would check the service’s records to establish the passport numbers involved and the circumstances in which the second passport was issued.
Mrs. Ajani also explained the ordinary position in law and practice, namely that persons whose passports are lost or stolen may apply for replacements upon providing the required documents.
An associate at the petitioning law firm, Mr. Layefa Ajuwa, said the lawyers became concerned upon learning that the defendant had left the country.
“We found out that she travelled out of the country, and we know that’s not supposed to be possible because her passport is in custody of the court,” he said.
He handed copies of the passport documents to the ministry at the meeting, and the Permanent Secretary asked the lawyers to submit clearer copies so that the documents could be properly examined.
According to the lawyers, Ms. Godwin-Isaac reported her earlier passport, numbered B00485650, as missing or stolen, and subsequently obtained another passport numbered B51450551.
They have questioned how a second passport could have been issued while the first remained valid and in the custody of the court, contending that the biometric records held by the NIS ought to have disclosed that she already held a subsisting passport.
The lawyers have separately served the Comptroller General of the NIS with a pre-action notice, giving the agency 30 days to respond to their complaint over the disputed passport.
The lawyers have separately served the Comptroller General of the NIS with a pre-action notice, giving the agency 30 days to respond to their complaint over the disputed passport.
The notice, dated 7 September and acknowledged by the service on 8 September, identified the disputed document as passport number B51450551, and stated that passport number B00485650 remained valid and was still in the custody of the Federal High Court.
The lawyers stated that they had earlier petitioned the NIS on 10 June, asking the agency to investigate the alleged issuance, prosecute any person found culpable, and place Ms. Godwin-Isaac on a watchlist. They said the agency had not formally responded to that petition.
In the pre-action notice, they further alleged that the disputed passport was obtained through a “non-appearance/no-show” process, and that the photograph and signature appearing on it had been digitally superimposed.
They warned that they would commence legal proceedings if the NIS failed to respond within the 30 day period, and that they would ask the court to compel the agency to investigate the matter, revoke the disputed passport, and place the defendant on a watchlist.
Ms. Godwin-Isaac is standing trial alongside her husband, Mr. Isaac Ishaku, one Richard John, and two companies, Homadil Realty Limited and Rychado Homes Limited.