The Nigerian Immigration service (NIS) on Friday said Justice of the Supreme Court, Sylvester Ngwuta used two similar standard international passports interchangeably.

The NIS said this at the Federal High Court, Abuja where Ngwuta is standing trial.

Background:

• Ngwuta was among seven superior court judges that were arrested between October 7 and 8, 2016 after the DSS raided their homes.
• He was said to have been in possession of multiple standard travel passports and stashed foreign currencies in his Abuja home.

What is happening:

Tanko kutana, a Senior Staff of the service made the claim while being crossed examined by counsel for the defendant, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN).

He said the defendant showed proof that his international passport was missing.

[Read Also: CBN receives N35m, foreign currencies found in Justice Ngwuta’s house]

He added that the service subsequently issued him a new one, based on the strength of the affidavit declaring his old passport missing.

Tanko said it was illegal to use two standard passports with similar registration number interchangeably.

“My Lord, the new passport was issued to Justice Ngwuta by the Immigration Service, having been convinced that he actually lost the first one.

“The service replaced the lost passport because it had no cause to doubt the affidavit evidence deposed to by the defendant when he reported the loss of the document,’’ Kutana said.

“The forensic report shows that the defendant, Ngwuta using the two standard passports interchangeable, at the time of his arrest on Oct. 7, 2016 by the operatives of the Department of State Service.

“We would not have been here if the defendant had returned the recovered passport to the service when he found it,’’ he said.

Justice John Tsoho adjourned the trial until October 20.