The Nigerian Immigration Service(NIS) on Sunday said the male, who was found with Nigeria’s former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and his wife, Beatrice, in the UK is 21 years old, not 15 as alleged by UK officials.
Ekweremadu and wife were last Thursday charged with conspiracy to harvest the organs of the male known as David Ukpo.
Reacting to the issue, NIS comptroller-general, Isa Jere, said Mr Ukpo’s date of birth as gathered by the NIS is October 12, 2000, adding that Ebonyi State Government confirmed his age.
“The Service wishes to set the record straight by informing the general public that the suggestions that it did not properly vet the breeder documents issued by the applicant during his passport application are not only off the mark, but mere fabrications aimed at tarnishing the image of the Service,” Jere said.
“The facts of the matter concerning the case above, therefore, are that the said Mr. David Ukpo Nwamina applied and paid for the enhanced standard passport using the NIS portal after which he approached the Gwagwalada Passport Office, FCT Abuja, on the 2nd November, 2021 for his interview.
“To support his application, Mr. Nwamina presented all the necessary documents required, including his National Population Commission (NPC) issued Birth Certificate, showing 12 October, 2000, as his date of birth; his National Identity Number (NIN) corroborating the date of birth on his birth certificate, issued by NIMC; a letter of introduction issued by Ebonyi State Government Liaison Office situated at Maitama District Abuja, and a Guarantor’s form duly signed by one Mr. Uchechukwu Chukwuma Ogbonno.
“In view of the above, the general public may wish to be informed that the date of birth, or any other information for that matter, on any Nigerian passport is printed on the document only after a thorough vetting process that involves both physical and forensic examination of the applicant’s breeder documents. Mr. Nwamina’s case, therefore, was not different.”
