The Nigerian government received 103 Nigerians deported from Turkey on Friday for violating immigration laws. Officials cited expired visas and irregular migration as the primary reasons for the deportations.
Alhaji Tijani Ahmed, Federal Commissioner for the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), confirmed the arrival of the deportees during their profiling in Abuja. He revealed that authorities expected 110 individuals but only 103 arrived, all of them men.
Some of the deportees reportedly spent months in detention camps before their repatriation. Deportees such as Mr. Arinze Stone and Mr. Moses Emeh reported being detained in Turkish camps for extended periods, with Stone stating that he was held for six months and Emeh for nearly 12 months. Despite having a registered company in Turkey, Emeh’s residence permit was forcibly canceled. The deportees denied any wrongdoing and alleged that the Turkish government was not being sincere and transparent with them.
Some of the deportees claimed that their passports were seized, and the commission plans to investigate these allegations. The NCFRMI pledged support for the returnees through collaboration with relevant agencies. The commission will also follow up with the Turkish authority regarding the seized passports, as they remain the property of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
