The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on the Federal Government to urgently reverse the new passport fees announced by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), describing the hike as arbitrary, unlawful, and discriminatory against poor Nigerians.
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It was reports that the NIS had last week disclosed that, effective September 1, 2025, passport applications within Nigeria would cost ₦100,000 for the 32-page, five-year validity and ₦200,000 for the 64-page, 10-year validity.

The new increase comes less than a year after a similar upward review in September 2024, sparking outrage among citizens.

‘Millions of Nigerians Cannot Afford It’ – SERAP

However, in a letter dated August 30, 2025, signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP stated that the decision would amount to an outright denial of access to passports for millions of socially and economically vulnerable Nigerians.

“Millions of disadvantaged Nigerians cannot realistically afford to pay the increased fees. These Nigerians should not be forced to spend their limited and grossly inadequate income to pay the increased fees instead of spending it on their basic living needs,” SERAP stated.

The organisation accused the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and the Comptroller-General of Immigration, Kemi Nandap, of failing to balance revenue generation with citizens’ rights.

“The Minister of Interior and the Comptroller-General of the NIS acted unlawfully when they arbitrarily increased the passport fees. The unreasonable and disproportionate increase is incompatible with the provisions of Chapters 2 and 4 of the Nigerian Constitution covering fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy and fundamental rights,” the statement read.

Risk of Denying Citizens Their Rights

SERAP warned that Nigerians unable to afford the new fees would be denied the enjoyment of constitutional rights and protections guaranteed under international human rights treaties.

“Nigerians who cannot afford to pay the excessive fees would be denied the effective enjoyment of their citizenship rights conferred by the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and human rights treaties to which the country is a state party,” the group said.

The organisation further cautioned that implementing such increases during a period of economic hardship would worsen the suffering of ordinary Nigerians.

“The unlawful increase in passport fees at a time the country is facing economic and financial crises would contribute further to the impoverishment of the population,” SERAP stressed.

It therefore gave the Federal Government seven days to reverse the decision or face legal action.

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The United States Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate General in Lagos will not open for regular activities on Monday, September 1, 2025, due to the observance of Labour Day in the US.

It was reports that the public holiday, which is marked every first Monday in September, is dedicated to honouring the role of American workers and has been celebrated since the late 19th century.

During the closure, Nigerians in need of urgent help from the mission will still have access to emergency contacts.

However, routine services such as visa applications and other consular matters will continue after the holiday.

The embassy in a tweet on Sunday advised those seeking appointments to plan their visits around the temporary closure.

The post read, “The U.S. Embassy in Abuja and Consulate General in Lagos will be closed on Monday, September 1, 2025, in observance of the U.S. Labor Day.”

In other news, operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have arrested a 75-year-old grandpa, Uchelue Ikechukwu, alongside five suspects arrested with illicit substances in raids in parts of Anambra State.

Naija News reports that 30-year-old Alfa Andrew was also taken into custody following the destruction of 178, 750 kilograms of skunk on his 71.5 hectares of cannabis farm in Mayodoga forest, Sardauna local council area of Taraba state.

This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday by the NDLEA Director, Media & Advocacy, Femi Babafemi.

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Nigeria’s former Inspector-General of Police (IGP) and ex-Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Solomon Ehigiator Arase, has passed away. He died at Cedarcrest Hospital in Abuja.

Solomon Arase, who served as the country’s 18th IGP, was widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most reform-driven police chiefs.

Before his appointment as IGP, he headed the Force Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, the police’s foremost intelligence unit.

Born on June 21, 1956, in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State, Arase earned a degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University in 1980 before joining the Nigeria Police Force in December 1981.

He later obtained a Law degree from the University of Benin and a Master’s degree from the University of Lagos.

Throughout his career, Arase served in several strategic capacities, including Principal Staff Officer to former IGPs, Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, and Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of intelligence.

He also represented Nigeria in Namibia under a United Nations peacekeeping mission and was a Fellow of the Nigerian Defence Academy.

Solomon Arase retired from the police on June 21, 2016, upon reaching the statutory retirement age.

In January 2023, he was appointed Chairman of the Police Service Commission by then-President Muhammadu Buhari, a role he held until June 2024.

He was celebrated for his commitment to police welfare and his reform-focused leadership.

His tenure introduced key initiatives such as the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), the Complaint Response Unit (CRU) to address police misconduct, and the Safer Highway Patrols, which improved safety for travelers across the country.

Even after retirement, Arase remained engaged in national security discourse, particularly in strengthening election security and promoting police neutrality during polls.

As of the time of filing this report, neither his family nor the Nigeria Police Force has issued an official statement confirming the development.

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