ABUJA, Nigeria — Irish immigration authorities have deported 35 Nigerian nationals, including five children, to Nigeria aboard a chartered flight that departed Dublin Airport on Wednesday night and arrived Thursday in Nigeria, according to Irish media reports.
The Irish Mirror reported that the group consisted of 21 men, nine women, and five children. The Irish Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, confirmed the deportation and said that all individuals safely arrived in Nigeria despite an unscheduled medical stopover during the flight.
“I’m happy to say they all returned to Nigeria,” O’Callaghan stated. While no specific reasons were publicly given for the deportations, he emphasized Ireland’s commitment to maintaining a regulated immigration process. “Ireland has a rules-based immigration system. It is important that those rules are robust and enforced,” he said.
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), the federal agency responsible for engaging with Nigerians living abroad, said on Thursday that it had not been informed in advance about the deportations. Abdur-Rahman Balogun, NiDCOM’s spokesperson, told Punch Diaspora Tales that the commission had no prior knowledge of the repatriation.
Irish authorities have previously undertaken such deportation efforts under bilateral agreements and EU immigration enforcement policies. However, the lack of notification to Nigerian officials has raised questions among diaspora advocates.
There was no immediate confirmation from Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding any planned response or assistance for the returnees upon arrival.
Punchng
