The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has called a woman for questioning, after she was filmed apparently tearing up her husband’s passport at the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos, in a video that has gone viral on social media.
Identified as Favour Igiebor, she was seen shouting at her husband in the video while pieces of the Nigerian passport lay on the floor.
She had returned from Europe alongside her husband and children and landed at the airport where the incident happened in front of dozens of other travellers.
“I tore it,” she was heard admitting.
“The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has launched formal investigation, following the circulation of a video on social media, showing a female traveler [sic] destroying a Nigerian Standard Passport at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, the authorities said in a statement, as they investigate.
“The individual involved has been identified as Mrs. Favour Igiebor,” the statement read.
The immigration authorities say that destroying the country’s passport was a criminal offence, which could be punished by up to a year in prison.
Mrs Igiebor released her own video, after the video of her tearing her husband passport went viral. She said she was suffering.
“Look at my eyes – I do cry a lot. Many people commenting on social media don’t understand what I am going through.
“You have to ask what happened – don’t just look at the action alone. I have my reasons. I have gone through a lot of family issues. I cannot be suffering. I suffered with him.”
She admitted to nursing thoughts of tearing up the passport in Europe but, decided that would have caused her husband too many problems.
In the video at the airport, one traveller was heard saying the couple had been having issues throughout the flight.
Some people were also seen consoling the husband and telling him to be calm.
If she were to be charged, she would be the first person to be taken to court for destroying the Nigerian passport.
But, in recent months, the country has been getting tough on protecting its national symbols, including a clampdown on the common practice of throwing around the national currency, the naira, at social events.