From the legal standpoint, the Nigeria Immigration Service has said Mrs Favour Igiebor, who destroyed her husband’s passport at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport after their return from abroad, could face a jail term as punishment for her actions if found guilty.
On Monday, the Service revealed that it had commenced investigation into the circumstances surrounding the destruction of a man’s passport by his wife.
In a statement, the spokesperson for the NIS, Kenneth Udo, described Igiebor’s action as a violation of Nigerian law.
The statement reads, “The Nigeria Immigration Service has 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 Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
“The Nigeria Immigration Service remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding the provisions of the Immigration Act in the interest of national security and to preserving the dignity and integrity of the nation’s legal instruments.”
Following the widespread condemnation that trailed her action, Igiebor, in another video while explaining why she took the action, said her husband had been giving her a lot of trouble in Italy where they are based and this had affected her health.
Mrs Igiebor said she resorted to tearing his passport so that he could not leave Nigeria.
Igiebor said she was particularly distressed that even her fellow gender were passing harsh comments without trying to understand why she did what she did.
She said she knew it was illegal to tear a passport and apologised to Nigerian Immigration.
“I am very sorry. I did it for my husband not to go back because I have seen so many things,” she said.
She said she had gone through pain and heartache.
“You do not know what I am going through,” she lamented.
In response to his wife’s recent video, the man who didn’t disclose his name, said he chose to remain silent because he believed the issue could be resolved “as a family.”
“My wife has posted something this morning. I don’t want to say anything, but I will leave you to watch the video. It is on various social media sites. I have the full clips.
“She didn’t know that I had someone with my phone because my friend and I came down here to do some things. I will post the full clip. I never expected that she would come out and say what she said. These are some things that we can resolve as a family,” he said.
Meanwhile, findings show that according to Section 49 of the NIS 2015 Act (as amended), a person found guilty of changing or altering a passport may face imprisonment or a fine. However, there is no section for punishment in case of destruction in the act.
The section reads, “A person who alters or assists another in altering a travel document, or who produces or reproduces or assists in the production or reproduction of any travel document without lawful authority commits an offence under Section 59 of the Act and is liable on-conviction to a- term of five years imprisonment or to a fine of one million naira or both.”