The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced plans to introduce a new Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) to replace the current Emergency Travel Certificate (ETC) as part of sweeping reforms to strengthen identity management and border governance.
Comptroller-General of Immigration, Mrs. Kemi Nanna Nandap, disclosed this in Abuja during the Joint Thematic Meeting of the Khartoum, Rabat, and Niamey Processes, which Nigeria co-hosted with the Government of France.
According to Nandap, the new biometric-enabled STEP document will provide Nigerians abroad—whose passports are expired, lost, or stolen—with a secure and verifiable means of returning home. The temporary travel document, she explained, will be valid for a single entry and issued at designated Nigerian embassies and consulates worldwide.
“The Single Travel Emergency Passport (STEP) is designed to ensure efficient service delivery, safeguard identity integrity, and enhance the security of Nigeria’s travel documentation system,” Nandap stated.
The high-level forum brought together key stakeholders in migration management from Nigeria and abroad, including the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), ECOWAS, AU, EU, and representatives from various African and European nations.
The meeting focused on fostering stronger collaboration against migrant smuggling and human trafficking, particularly across African and European migration corridors. Participants emphasized the need for coordinated prevention, protection, and prosecution strategies to combat transnational criminal networks.
The Comptroller-General, in her keynote address titled “Insights on Prevention and Protection as Strategic Pillars to Effective Law Enforcement and Prosecution Responses — The NIS Perspective,” highlighted the Service’s proactive role in combating irregular migration.
“We are committed to enhancing border governance, improving migration management systems, building institutional capacity, and strengthening international cooperation,” she said.
Nandap reiterated that the Nigeria Immigration Service remains a major player in regional and global migration dialogues and will continue to align its operations with international standards to promote safe, orderly, and regular migration.
She also reaffirmed Nigeria’s determination to protect migrants’ rights while ensuring that criminal syndicates involved in smuggling and trafficking face decisive legal action.
The meeting served as a strategic platform for sharing best practices, aligning national frameworks, and deepening inter-agency partnerships in the ongoing global effort to tackle the root causes of irregular migration and human trafficking.
NIS Unveils Biometric Emergency Passport, Moves to Tackle Migrant Smuggling
