Businesswoman calls out Nigeria Immigration Service over discrimination in biometric capturing
A Nigerian entrepreneur and media practitioner, Hajiah Madinat, has described the policy of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) forcing Muslim women to alter their religious appearance during data capturing for passport as amounting to institutional discrimination and religious intolerance.
The businesswoman said no Nigerian citizen should be compelled to choose between accessing a basic service and observing the dictates of their faith.
Mrs Madinat made the statement following a nasty experience she encountered at the NIS office in Abuja on Tuesday, December, 16, 2025 during her passport renewal data capturing exercise.
She said the officers handling her application insisted on exposing her ears before the biometric capturing could proceed.
“I explained clearly that my Hijab is not worn for fashion, but is a religious obligation and a constitutionally protected expression of my faith. I further explained that forcing me to expose my ears distorts my normal appearance, as this is not how I ordinarily appear in public or at international borders,” she said.
Mrs Madinat said all her passionate appeals and explanations were rebuffed by the immigration officers who insisted that she must expose her ears.
“Despite my explanations, the NIS officers maintained that exposing my ears was a “new policy” and insisted that it was a directive from the Minister of Interior, Hon. Bunmi Tunji-Ojo. I was made to understand that compliance was compulsory, regardless of my religious convictions.”
The media practitioner condemned the policy as insensitive to the faith and feelings of Muslim women who observe the Hijab.
She added that such requirement mandating Muslim women to expose their ears does not conform with international standards or best practices.
“I hold a valid American passport, and at no point during my biometric capturing in the United States was I compelled to compromise my religious appearance in order to be documented,” she said.
“Beyond the policy itself, I was distressed by the unprofessional and discourteous manner in which I was treated. The officials were rude, dismissive, and unwilling to engage respectfully, despite the fact that the Nigeria Immigration Service is a public institution funded by taxpayers’ money and established to serve all Nigerians without discrimination.”
Mrs Madinat emphasised that the practice is a clear violation of her constitutional right to freedom of religion.
She has sent a petition to the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) for intervention, urging the body to press for an inclusive, faith-sensitive biometric capturing policy that respects the religious obligations of Muslim women.
She said her step was in defense of her dignity and in the broader interest of protecting the religious rights of Muslim women across Nigeria.
