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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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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British-born Nigerian missionary, Ruth Elton, reputed to be the oldest missionary has passed on at the age of 91.

Ruth Elton, born 7 September 1933, was a British-born Nigerian missionary whose lifelong dedication to faith, healing, and revival left an indelible mark on communities across western and central Nigeria.

SaharaReporters learnt that Elton died on Saturday at Sharon compound, Alafia Bamin Quarters in Ilesa, Osun State.

She was the only daughter of Pa Elton and her remains have been deposited at the mortuary.

Ruth Elton, daughter of Sydney Granville Elton (Pa Elton), who is referred to as one of the founding fathers of Pentecostalism in Nigeria, had approached a Kaduna court and nationalised as a Nigerian.

At old age and despite the happenings in Nigeria, she still held in high esteem her father’s prophecies that although Nigeria could be known globally for corruption, it would only for a while as new dawn would beckon when the country would be known worldwide for righteousness and prosperity.

Elton moved to Nigeria in 1937 with her parents and served as a Christian missionary across Egbe, Okene, Koton Karfe, and other parts of Kogi, Ondo, Oyo, and Osun States.

A naturalised Nigerian, having renounced her British citizenship in the 1970s, she embraced the country completely and became fluent in Ebira and Yoruba.

Elton, who remained single, believed that she had made a true mark in the country and apart from her missionary work, she saw her efforts in taming infant mortality, especially in Okene, Kogi State as a generational impact.

Relating her experience on infant mortality in the country, Elton recently noted that many newborn babies had passed on due to lack of proper care and hygiene, adding that the practice of force-feeding babies contributed to the challenges, especially in the face of poor awareness.

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