Nigeria’s Immigration Service says it has confiscated the passport of a prominent member of the recent #ENDSARS protest campaign against police brutality.
It says Modupe Odele’s passport was seized as she was about to go on holiday because she was under investigation.
Ms Odele provided legal services to hundreds of protesters and mobilised 800 volunteer lawyers to help secure bail for those who had been detained.
The protests came to an end after dozens of peaceful demonstrators were shot in the Lagos suburb of Lekki on October 20.
Multiple eyewitnesses have told the BBC the shooting was carried out by soldiers, but the Nigerian army denies it shot anyone.
Recall that the spokesman for the NIS, Mr. Sunday James stated that Moe’s passport was seized as part of a routine routine border assignment.
He added that whenever a restriction is placed on any individual, the immigration service is duty-bound to enforce it.
However reacting to this, Moe queried the NIS on who ordered the seizure of her passport. She affirmed that it is an ongoing constitutional breach of Section 38 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).
The lawyer tweeted: “What is so ironic is that as a kid, I grew up hearing stories like this of folks having passports seized with no reasons. They sounded like far away tales that could never happen to me you know. But look at where we are now. A few hours before I turned 31, it happened to me. Wild
“Stop tweeting about it” Why? So the world doesn’t see this ridiculous thing that is happening?
Common guys you can do better than this. What is this razz campaign in my mentions? So shameful tbh.
“Instead of rallying muppets to carry on a discrediting campaign, respectfully ask your people to release my passport. Why dis? So unnecessary.
“Let’s center the main issue. My passport was taken with no reason given. This is an ongoing constitutional breach. Section 38 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) DSS v. Agbakoba (1999) 3 NWLR (PT. 595).
“Okay who gave the order/directive and when can I please have my passport back?
There’s no list but there’s an order. But also it was routine.”
