EXTRA: Man whose ‘passport was torn’ by his wife says it was a skit

A man whose travel passport was allegedly torn at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos says everything was scripted. 

Videos of a female traveller purportedly destroying her husband’s passport at the airport began circulating on social media last week, sparking widespread condemnation.

In the clips, torn pieces of the passport were seen strewn on the floor, as the woman strutted away defiantly with her children, leaving the husband seemingly distraught.

In another video explaining her actions, the woman insisted that she did nothing wrong, alleging that she had been oppressed by her husband for a while.

Reacting to the development, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) said the woman was identified and invited for further investigation.

NIS said her actions would have constituted a breach of the law, with corresponding penalties, if the allegations were substantiated.

In a fresh video late Wednesday, the husband said the spectacle at the airport was part of a comedy skit.

The video was posted to an Instagram page with the name Jejola Family TV, purportedly portraying the couple as entertainers. The page also features different prank videos and family content.

The husband said his late night video was a “message of appeal to the public”, adding that the document that was torn at the airport was a fake and that what happened was a re-enactment of a real-life situation.

“She never tore my passport, my passport is intact. This is someone’s story that we are passing to the world,” he added.

“We say sorry, we cannot defy the law of Nigeria.”

He said immigration had seen his passport and confirmed that it was intact.

The NIS has yet to publicly react to the development.