40 Nigerians deported from UK, Australia

United Kingdom (UK) and Australia yesterday jointly deported 40 Nigerians for immigration offences.

The deportees, comprising men and women, arrived at the Hajj camp area of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at 7:25am on a chartered aircraft.

It was learnt that the chartered aircraft with the registration number ZTA-4741 had on board 36 Nigerians – 29 males and seven females.

Also, Air Seychelles with the registration number SND-1 brought four males into the country for similar immigration offences.

The two countries also deported some Ghanaians, Liberians and Egyptians.

The returnees were received by agencies like the Police, National Agency for Protection and Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS). They checked their identities to ascertain their nationalities.

A source close to the terminal said some of the deportees complained when officers of the NIS attempted to collect their fingerprints.

The source added that others, who didn’t kick against the taking of the fingerprints, were attended to and allowed to leave the airport after the completion of their documentations.

At the Hajj and cargo terminal, where they used as exit, the deportees looked sobre and refused to speak with our correspondent when approached.

Some of them were seeing boarding vehicles out of the airport. Others discussed in groups.

The deportees, it was gathered, were repatriated from their host countries for overstaying their visas and other immigration offences.

NIS Public Relations Officer Mr. Ekpedeme King confirmed the deportation to The Nation when contacted on phone. But he could not give more details.

The Nation