Nigeria Immigration Service clarifies UK passport intervention delays, saying a technical issue affected biometric capturing but has been resolved
NIS Breaks Silence on UK Passport Delays as London Intervention Continues
The Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, has clarified reports of disruption during its ongoing passport intervention exercise in the United Kingdom, saying a brief technical downtime affected biometric capturing but has since been resolved.
The clarification followed videos circulated on social media on Monday showing applicants gathered outside the intervention centre in Manchester, with some expressing frustration over delays and the time spent waiting to be attended to.
The NIS said the concerns of applicants were understandable but explained that the disruption was caused by a technical issue, particularly affecting biometric capturing at the Manchester centre.
According to the Service, the problem was promptly addressed, allowing the intervention exercise to continue.
The NIS further said the exercise is currently ongoing in London, where applicants with scheduled appointments are being attended to in an orderly and coordinated manner.
The Service disclosed that 230 applicants with scheduled appointments were successfully processed on the first day of the exercise, comprising 90 applicants attended to in London and 140 in Manchester.
The figures, according to the NIS, indicate that although the exercise encountered a technical challenge at the outset, it was neither abandoned nor suspended.
Operations resumed after the technical issue was resolved, with officials continuing to attend to applicants seeking passport services.
The special intervention exercise was organised to provide passport services to Nigerians in the United Kingdom, particularly those with outstanding applications, renewals and other pending passport-related cases.
The NIS stressed that the disruption should therefore be understood as a temporary technical issue rather than a shutdown of the intervention exercise.
With the system restored, the Service said the exercise remains ongoing, while applicants with appointments continue to receive the services for which they registered.
For applicants currently attending the intervention in London, the process is proceeding as scheduled, with officials attending to those with appointments.
The NIS maintained that the passport intervention exercise is ongoing, the technical challenge has been resolved and applicants are being attended to.
