Several Nigerian students, including those from Niger State, are reportedly facing the threat of deportation from Moscow, Russia, due to their inability to renew their international passports.
The students, who are undergraduates, have raised concerns after learning that their travel documents cannot be renewed due to an alleged shortage of materials required for printing new passports.
The students, alarmed by the situation, have contacted their parents to inform them of the impending risk of deportation if they fail to renew their documents.
Reports indicate that the students’ green cards are nearing expiration, and attempts to renew them have been unsuccessful as the Nigeria Immigration Service office in Russia claims to lack the necessary materials to issue new passports.
One concerned parent, Yakubu Tauheed Bina, expressed his frustration, noting that it would cost his son over N5 million to return to Nigeria to renew his passport.
Speaking to journalists in Minna, Bina questioned the Nigerian Embassy in Russia’s failure to resolve the issue, asking, “Is the federal government of Nigeria not funding the embassy in that country?”
Bina has called on the Federal and State governments to urgently assist parents whose children are studying abroad and other Nigerians overseas by ensuring the timely renewal and issuance of passports to prevent the embarrassment of deportation.
