Nigerian Embassy in Qatar Victimises Passport Applicant for Exposing Racketeering, Withholds Renewal Despite ₦315,000 Payment
The Nigerian Embassy in Qatar is under fire again—this time for allegedly targeting and victimising a passport applicant who exposed a multi-million-naira racketeering syndicate within the mission. Despite releasing more than 500 passports between August 1 and 6, embassy officials reportedly blacklisted the applicant, leaving him stranded without a valid travel document.
Documents obtained by SaharaReporters reveal that the victim, like others, paid ₦315,000 (750 Qatari Riyals) for a standard passport renewal. But while hundreds of other Nigerians received theirs, his application was deliberately excluded—a retaliatory act meant to punish him for exposing the scam.
A source familiar with the matter told SaharaReporters:
“The embassy issued more than 500 passports between August 1 and 6, but the person’s name was deliberately left out. According to them, his offence is that he exposed them. This is pure victimisation.”
This development follows SaharaReporters’ July investigation, which revealed how officials at the Nigerian Embassy in Doha collected millions from desperate applicants but failed to process their documents. The exposé detailed how over 500 Nigerians were stranded for five months, unable to travel, work, or even maintain valid identification.
Some Nigerians described the embassy’s actions as “a big scam” and “official fraud against helpless citizens abroad.”
One stranded applicant recounted:
“The embassy abandoned us here with expired passports. In February 2025, they announced that immigration officers had arrived from Nigeria to handle the backlog. But after collecting our money, they refused to issue passports until we cried out. Now that SaharaReporters exposed them, they are punishing the person they believe leaked the story.”
Instead of reforming their practices after the scandal broke, embassy officials allegedly focused on hunting down the whistleblower.
According to insiders, they identified him through a receipt number that appeared in SaharaReporters’ published evidence. His application was then flagged and withheld, even as others who paid the same fees received their passports.
This act, sources say, was not just retaliation but also a chilling message to other Nigerians abroad: “Stay silent, or suffer.”
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When contacted, Akinsola Akinlabi, spokesperson for the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), distanced the agency from the scandal:
“You know I don’t speak for the Embassy of Nigeria in Qatar.”
So far, the embassy has not issued an official statement. Instead, it has continued business as usual—processing passports for others while leaving the whistleblower stranded.
This silence has only fueled outrage among Nigerians abroad, who accuse their embassies of becoming hotbeds of extortion and impunity.
The targeting of the Qatar applicant raises troubling questions about how Nigerian institutions treat whistleblowers.
Instead of rewarding citizens who expose corruption, officials often retaliate—through denial of services, harassment, or outright intimidation. This not only discourages others from speaking out but also entrenches a culture of impunity.
⚡ Bottom line: The Nigerian Embassy in Qatar is not just failing its citizens; it is allegedly weaponising state services against them. This case is a chilling reminder of how corruption robs Nigerians abroad of dignity, opportunity, and even their basic rights.