TIDE

US, Canada deport 105 Nigerians ... no. of Rivers indigenes unknown

Ike Wigodo • Thursday, Jan 17, 2008

The United States of America and Canada deported 105 Nigerians yesterday.

They were 93 males, and 12 females.

Those deported from the United States were 95, while the remaining 10 were deported from Canada.

Nineteen of the deportees, one of whom was deported from Canada, were taken into the custody of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for drug offences where they sought the help of lawyers to fight their cases.

At the time of this report, their identity was not fully known, so it was not clear whether any Rivers indigene was involved.

However, all the deportees were received by anti-narcotics agents, armed policemen and immigration officials.

Our correspondent reports that diplomatic officials from the Canadian embassy were also on ground to witness their arrival.

A foreign diplomat, who simply referred to himself as Lavoi and who was on ground to ensure the arrival of the deportees in Nigeria, said that they were deported on court orders.

“Some overstayed, some had criminal conviction. They had their right to appeal, but they lost the appeals,” he said.

“They were ordered to be deported out of Canada and we had to get them out,” he said.

“They wouldn't want to come back themselves, so we put them on a chartered flight back,” he added.

The deportees touched down at 4.30 p.m. at the cargo terminal of the airport and went through documentation before emerging at 5.30p.m.

Some of the deportees who had immigration cases of overstaying or fake documentation looked bewildered as they were dropped at the cargo terminal.

“I didn't know I will find myself here” one of the deportees told newsmen as he looked for a means of getting to his home.

Our correspondent reports that a massive crowd surged to catch glimpses of the deportees who sweated profusely.

One of the deportees caused a stir as he refused to come down from the bus that conveyed them out of the tarmac. “I’m going no where,” he yelled.