The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has debunked the purported reports making the rounds that the Service has disqualified a specific region from passport insurance.

This is contained in a press statement issued on Saturday, February 7, and made available to newsmen in Abuja.

The statement reads, “The attention of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has been drawn to a baseless online report claiming that a specific region of the country has been disqualified from passport issuance.

“We wish to state categorically that this report is entirely false and a gross misrepresentation of the ongoing government reforms to modernize passport administration.

“The reality is that the NIS has introduced a phased onboarding system to migrate passport offices including those in foreign missions to a centralized production framework.

“This modernization effort, which began in 2024, is designed to enhance efficiency and not exclude any citizen.

“The Service has successfully onboarded passport offices in the North East and North Central states of Borno, Yobe, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, and Plateau, along with 35 international stations spread across Africa, Asia, Europe and South America.

“Furthermore, scheduled migration for the five South East states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo; and five additional international stations (Italy, Greece, Spain, Switzerland and Austria) is currently ongoing within the first quarter of 2026.

“Consequently, the service has established a strict work-plan calendar to ensure this transition is seamless and does not disrupt delivery timelines as the goal is to drive the process towards greater efficiency.

“Nigeria Immigration Service remains committed to serving all Nigerians equitably, regardless of gender, location, or status.