Embassy Collects ₦315K, Strands 500 Nigerians in Qatar

DDM News

 (DDM) – Over 500 Nigerian nationals residing in Qatar are currently stranded, months after paying the sum of 750 Qatari Riyals (approximately ₦315,000) each to the Nigerian Embassy in Doha for passport renewals that have yet to be delivered.

The affected Nigerians, many of whom spoke under conditions of anonymity for fear of victimization, described the situation as “a massive scam” and “official fraud” carried out against law-abiding citizens abroad.

According to Diaspora digital media (DDM), the Nigerian Embassy in Qatar had for years failed to provide in-country passport renewal services.

This forced many Nigerians to either live with expired passports or travel back to Nigeria at great financial and logistical cost.

However, in February 2025, following pressure from the Nigerian community in Qatar, the embassy announced that immigration officials had been flown in from Nigeria to conduct long-overdue passport renewals.

The announcement was welcomed with relief and enthusiasm.

Hundreds of Nigerians responded to the call, paid the stated fee of 750 Riyals (₦315,000), and submitted their details with expectations that new passports would be issued in a matter of weeks.

But now, five months later, no passports have been delivered, and the embassy has allegedly gone silent.

“We were told to come to the embassy to renew our passports when immigration personnel arrived,” said one source who paid the required amount.

“We trusted them because it was an official government arrangement, inside the Nigerian Embassy, not a third-party vendor. Yet, after collecting our money, nothing has happened. No updates, no refunds.”

Another victim, visibly frustrated, explained that the lack of valid travel documents has rendered them helpless in Qatar.

“Many of us can’t get better jobs, access our bank accounts, or even travel back to Nigeria. Our lives are on hold because of expired passports,” he said.

“We didn’t go through any agents or backdoor routes. We dealt directly with embassy officials. So how can this happen?”

The issue has affected not just personal mobility but economic survival. Some of those affected say they are unable to renew work permits or legal residency documents without valid Nigerian passports, putting them at risk of deportation or legal penalties in Qatar.

“There are nearly 600 of us in this situation,” another source revealed. “And we are being told nothing. When we try to follow up, they say, ‘We’ll get back to you.’ But nobody ever does.”

DDM reports that trust in the Nigerian Embassy in Qatar has been severely damaged by this episode.

For many, what started as a hopeful solution to a long-standing problem has turned into a bureaucratic nightmare, trapping hardworking citizens in limbo.

“This is not just neglect,” said one affected Nigerian. “It’s oppression, by our own government abroad.”

When contacted for comment, the spokesperson of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Akinsola Akinlabi, acknowledged receiving the inquiry and stated, “I have seen what you sent to me, let me take my time. I’ll get back to you later.”

As of press time, no further statement has been issued by either the Nigerian Immigration Service or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Nigerian community in Qatar is now calling for immediate intervention by the federal government, demanding full refunds or urgent passport issuance to all affected individuals.

The situation, observers say, underscores the persistent failure of Nigerian foreign missions to serve and protect the interests of its diaspora citizens, despite collecting significant revenue through consular services.

With thousands of Nigerians living and working in the Gulf region, this incident raises serious questions about oversight, accountability, and the government’s capacity to deliver basic services to its citizens abroad.

“We are not criminals. We are citizens. And we deserve better,” one of the victims concluded.

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