THE Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has launched an investigation into an incident at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, where a woman destroyed her husband’s passport.
This was contained in a statement released on Sunday, August 11, by the NIS public relations officer, Kenneth Udo.
Video of the incident went viral on Sunday, August 11, shortly after the couples arrived in the country.
According to the video sighted by The ICIR, the female traveller, identified as Igiebor, was seen shouting at her husband, and tearing up her husband’s passport in a fit of rage.
The incident led to a mild commotion at the airport but has generated widespread reactions from many Nigerians on social media.
Reacting to the incident, the NIS stated that it had “launched a formal investigation following the circulation of a video on social media, showing a female traveller destroying a Nigerian Standard Passport at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos.”
The NIS emphasised that tampering with official documents, particularly international passports, is an offence under Nigerian law and could be a violation of Section 10(b) of the Immigration Act 2015 (as amended), which prohibits the willful destruction of Nigerian travel documents.
The service reiterated its commitment to upholding the rule of law, safeguarding national security and preserving the integrity of Nigeria’s legal and diplomatic instruments.
I am not mad – woman who tore passport reacts
Reacting to the outrage that trailed her action in a video by @JejojaFamily TV, the woman defended her actions, citing long-standing marital issues and claiming she acted out of frustration upon returning to Nigeria.
She said she had wanted to tear the passport when they were in Europe but she didn’t want to stress her husband.
Her words: “These issues have been going on for a very long time. I was just dancing to the tune till I arrived (in) my motherland Nigeria which just happened and I did what I did.”
She expressed frustration over social media criticisms that had trailed her action and urged people to consider the underlying reasons behind her actions.
“I am not a mad woman who would just come and act like that. I have my reasons. I have gone through so many things. So many of you just commenting on the video, I am seeing so many comments, and friends calling me. Those that have never called me for ages are calling me, those that have heard from me 20 years ago are calling me. I am not like that.
“So many of you commenting, what if I had done this thing in Europe where we were coming from? Because I don’t want him to go through a lot of stress, that’s why I did it in Nigeria.
“So I don’t care about what people are writing because if you don’t know what is happening, don’t just comment on what you don’t know. You have to know how to come into an issue. So many people at the airport that day saw me. Those who have thinking faculty were calm to ask me, wanting to know what happened,” she said.
She claimed that her husband had been controlling her social media and other aspects of her life, which contributed to her frustration.
She further challenged those calling for her arrest, demanding to know what offence she committed.
“I suffered with this my husband. I know how many years I suffered with him and just like that. They just want my suffering to be chartered away (sic). Where is it done? I know men will never accept it. But those men who have sisters who have gone through this thing I’m going through now will understand but other men would not understand.
“…I want to reap what I have sowed with him, that’s all I have to say. If he knows he has the mind let him come out and say what’s happening.”
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M