Federal government Suspends Passports Of Over 2,000 Travelers

The federal government has revealed that it is taking some actions to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic as it has suspended the passports of more than 2,000 in-bound travelers for disregarding the strict COVID-19 protocols.

National incident manager of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC), Mukhtar Mohammed, intimated in a press briefing that the government had to take the necessary steps to protect the people of Nigeria from a super spreader event that may cause havoc.

Mohammed explained that travellers who did not follow the strict Covid-19 protocol have been penalised. He also added that they had bolstered the surveillance systems at the airports and land borders to improve the security situation.

Passengers travelling from high-risk nations such as South Africa, Brazil, India, and Turkey must spend 14 days in government-approved isolation centers.

Mohammed said: “We have included the provision of quarantine for passengers who arrived from restricted countries, and people who evaded these protocols have been penalised by publishing their names, as well as by suspending their passports for one year.

 “Let me assure you that so far, we have published the list of over 2,000 people who evaded quarantine in our health facilities. And we have gone ahead to ensure that their passports are suspended. So, for every action, certainly, there are consequences,”

Passengers arriving from high-risk countries like South Africa, Brazil, India and Turkey are to embark on a mandatory 14-day quarantine in government-approved facilities.