By Okey Alozie
Imo citizens are said to have continued to protest against high level of extortion that is alleged to be going on at the Federal Immigration office in Owerri.
On Wednesday 21st of April 2021 one Mr Chikwado Ibezim from Ehime Mbano Local Government Area and many other Imo citizens were physically seen in front of the Immigration office at the Federal Secretariat Complex, Owerri located along Mohammadu Buhari way New Owerri, shading tears as they complained of the delay in giving them their passports after paying alleged big sums of money to the officers incharge of International passport section.
According to the aggrieved citizens of Imo State, the alleged extortion and bribery starts from the entrance gate to the main office.
Narrating his ordeal in the hands of an Immigration officer, Chikwado said he paid over Fourty Thousand N40, 000 to one Mr Alex (surname withheld) since September 2020 and uptil now nothing positive has come out of it as he is yet to get any International passport.
Chikwado revealed that the officer who collected the said money from him has been dodging him.
Others who narrated their ordeals alleged that Senior officers embark on collecting money before rendering any service to Applicants for Passports.
Another victim, Mrs Juliet Njoku told our reporter that she gave N100,000 to one of the officers from Orlu Local Government Area since October and now the officer is alleged to have disappeared with the money and cannot be traced.
They aggrieved victims have agreed to travel to Abuja to go on protest to let the Presidency know the high level of extortion going on at Federal Immigration office Owerri.
Trumpeta gathered further that most people who paid for the passports since 2020 uptil now have not been issued any passport.
Investigation revealed that one of the reasons causing the delay is lack of Booklets. Inability of the management to provide the booklets it was learnt, has made the Immigration officers to allegedly go into extortion and milk those seeking to get passports dry.
The Public Relations Officer when contacted told our Reporter that she will first get clearance from Abuja before speaking to Press.
But a source in the Immigration Service Owerri who pleaded anonymity, denied that Officers are extorting citizens for passports, but agreed that there is shortage of what he called “Booklets”. “The truth is that all these are lies against this Service and the hardworking Staff and Officers. There is no extortion going on here” the Source told Trumpeta.
