One of the victims, who pleaded anonymity, told SaharaReporters, that the appointment booking portal of the embassy opens fortnightly but when applicants try to apply, the slots get quickly filled up.
Some Nigerians have alleged a high level of corruption at the Polish Embassy, Abuja, by the staff members of the European country.
One of the victims, who pleaded anonymity, told SaharaReporters, that the appointment booking portal of the embassy opens fortnightly but when applicants try to apply, the slots get quickly filled up.
He said several applicants have been on the application for several months, hoping to get an opportunity to apply but their efforts have always proved abortive.
However, it was later discovered that staff members of the agency make business with the slots which are sold for as high as N250,000.
He said, “There's alleged extortion regarding appointment booking at Polish Embassy in Abuja by embassy staff.
“The embassy opens its appointment booking portal every two weeks, but no matter how hard one tries, the dates keep changing indicating that slots are getting filled, yet one is unable to book an appointment. We've been on it for over two months. I don't know of anyone who has booked an appointment.
“The last time I was in Abuja, I met some guys who complained about the same issue. The last time to book an appointment was the 13th of September. I was monitoring the portal since 08:00 am, the dates kept changing but no appointments were made.
“Out of curiosity, one of the guys I met in Abuja decided to go Polish Embassy in Abuja. He met a lady who claimed to know an insider whose influence could get one an appointment at 250k. The said lady is an agent. Right there, a guy was negotiating to pay. I have the chats between myself and the guy. Today, the suspicion of many of us who hold the opinion that the appointment booking system has been compromised was confirmed.
”Personally, I know five people having the same experience and those people too know others with the same experience.
“The way the appointment system is being handled has given some of the embassy staff ample opportunity to extort desperate visa applicants.”
Some of the affected persons also flooded the Twitter page of the embassy @PLinNigeria lamenting their inability to book an appointment after several attempts.
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