The Minister of Interior, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) have been sued before the Federal High Court, Lagos Division, in a public interest action filed by human rights lawyer, Francis Chigozie Moneke. The suit, marked FHC/L/CS/2023/2025 and filed on 6 October 2025, challenges what the Applicant describes as an “extortionate” increase in the official fees for obtaining the Nigerian international passport.
In his fundamental rights enforcement application, Moneke contends that the increment violates the constitutional rights to freedom of movement and freedom from discrimination, guaranteed under sections 41 and 42 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as well as Articles 12 and 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. He relies on the Supreme Court’s decision in Director, SSS v. Olisa Agbakoba, where it was held that possession of a Nigerian passport is indispensable to the exercise of the right of ingress and egress, which forms an integral part of the right to freedom of movement.
According to Moneke, the astronomical increase of passport fees to ₦100,000 and ₦200,000 for the two categories of standard passports effectively denies millions of Nigerians the facility required to actualise their right to freedom of movement. He argues that the Federal Government, having a constitutional duty to make such facilities accessible, cannot impose prohibitive costs that create bottlenecks for ordinary citizens seeking to travel or return to Nigeria.
The Applicant further contends that the increment is discriminatory, particularly against Nigerians earning the minimum wage of ₦70,000 or less, as well as the unemployed. Citing Article 2 of the African Charter, he submits that making the passport the exclusive preserve of the wealthy amounts to social and economic discrimination, thereby excluding millions of impoverished Nigerians from enjoying the full scope of their fundamental rights.
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Moneke therefore prays the court to declare the Respondents’ action unconstitutional and to strike down the new fees as gross violations of fundamental rights. He urges the court to compel the Federal Government to revert to the previous rates or impose such nominal fees as the court may deem just. The Applicant concludes by expressing hope that the judiciary, as the last hope of the common man, will courageously uphold the rights of millions of disadvantaged citizens.
