The Nigeria Immigration Service has waded into the case of a viral video of a woman, Mrs. Igiebor, who upon arriving Nigeria tore her husband’s Nigerian passport at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
She has come out to offer explanations for her action.
In a statement released by the NIS Public Relations Officer, Kenneth Udo, the Service said the woman has been identified and would be made to face the penalties if found guilty.
“The Nigeria Immigration Service has launched a formal investigation following the circulation of a video on social media, showing a female traveler destroying a Nigerian Standard Passport at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos,” the statement read.
However, Mrs. Favour Igiebor, caught in a viral video showing her tearing her husband’s standard passport at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, defended her action.
Taken by a man who identified himself as a fellow passenger on the Lagos-landing flight, the video captured the woman tearing her husband’s passport, with torn pieces visible on the floor. When confronted, she defiantly responded in Pidgin English, “I tore it. Is it yours?”
She was later seen walking away with her children, leaving her husband standing forlorn with a baby in a stroller.
However, in another video released in response to the backlash of the shocking incident, the woman addressed popular bloggers, including Tunde Ednut and Instablog, urging them to consider both sides before passing judgement.
“I’m not a mad woman who would just come and act like that,” she stated. “I have my reasons. I’ve gone through so many things. So many of you are just commenting on the video, friends and people who I haven’t spoken with for years are now calling me. I am not like that.”
She further explained that she chose to destroy her husband’s passport in Nigeria, rather than in Europe, to prevent him from facing significant stress.
“What if I had done this in Europe where we were coming from? I didn’t want to put him through that, so I did it in Nigeria. So, I don’t know what is going on, and I don’t care about what people are writing because if you don’t know what is happening, don’t just comment on what you don’t know.”
The woman also hinted at long-standing family issues and expressed frustration with how her husband, who she claimed handles most of her affairs, including her social media pages, has treated her. “I have gone through a lot of things, family issues here and there every time. My husband cannot speak. It took me a lot of time because he is the one handling a lot of things for me. He is the one handling my page for me. My email wasn’t attached to it; his email was attached to it too.”
Addressing those calling for her arrest, she challenged them to hold her accountable, expressing the emotional toll her marriage has taken on her.
“I cry every night and day even after having three children. I want to enjoy what I suffered for with him,” she said.
She also criticised her husband’s recent attempts to placate her with gifts, suggesting that they were insufficient to address the deeper issues in their relationship.
“He bought me an iPhone, yes, just to make me calm and everything, but these things have been going on for years. He knew that I haven’t forgotten it. Out of anger, I told him that in Nigeria, I don’t think we will return. He looked at me, that’s why he got me the iPhone as a gift, thinking everything is gone. I now have heart pain and headaches because of this, and you guys are insulting me.”
