Some Nigerians who applied for international passports at the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) office on Bama Road, Maiduguri, Borno State, have told FIJ they have been unable to get their passports since a flood hit the city in September.

They did their capturing in August and were scheduled to pick up their passports in September, but when they returned to the office after the flood, officials told them the incident hit their database.

One such applicant who asked not to be named said she applied on July 17, had her capturing in August and was supposed to pick up the document on September 10.

“I applied for international passport in August. The flood happened and they claimed it wiped out records,” she told FIJ.

“However, to work it out since then has been too much of a struggle. At first the officials said the boss travelled. Later, their response was we wait on the Abuja office to call and that we may have to do it again. I know someone who applied in January and there also is delay in his.

“It’s frustrating not knowing what to do. And I thought the process was digitised. How can our records be swept away? There are hundreds of us stranded.”

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The Maiduguri flood was one of the deadliest the state had witnessed in years. No fewer than 30 people lost their lives, and a further 400,000 people were displaced. The flooding occurred when the Alau Dam gave way in 2024.

On Sunday, FIJ called the NIS office. An agent said affected persons were supposed to track their application on the website to see if their passports were ready.

Sources went through this process and shared the result with FIJ.

For one applicant, their application had expired. For the other one, the website stated that their application was pending enrollment.

FIJ called Alao Babatunde, chief press secretary of the Minister of Interior, and he said the ministry would look into the matter to resolve it.