Sweden, Norway and Spain repatriates 29 Nigerians, 2 Togolese with legs chained

Nigerians repatriated from Europe 

Sweden, Norway and Spain early hours of Tuesday, repatriated 29 Nigerians and two Togolese male nationals to the country in leg chains, a situation described as debasing and dehumanising.
The flight, which landed at the Murtala Muhammad Airport, Lagos, at 6.45 a.m., was operated by Privilege Style aircraft with registration number EC-IZO.

The passengers onboard the flight included 27 Nigerian males, two females and two Togolese males who were deposited in Nigeria, just as the flight took off at 8.30 a.m. to Ghana from Nigeria.

It was discovered that nine of the Nigerian passengers were repatriated for alleged drug trafficking, while the remaining 20 were repatriated for immigration related offences.

An airport official, who claimed anonymity said that 29 males were chained onboard the flight, because they were considered huge and a threat to the immigration and police officials in the aircraft.

“I can authoritatively confirm that the males were kept in chains out of fear that they might resist their arrest and deportation, but they removed the chains a few hours into the journey.
“Other than the fact they were unwilling to return to their country, the deportees were very sad because of the ill-treatment they experienced in the hands of the officials.

“One of them told me that the immigration and police officials were so despicable and rough in the way they treated the deportees,” the source said

Graca gist learnt that some of the Nigerian deportees, had been held since last year and were prevented from communicating with their relatives and friends until it was time to deport them to Nigeria.

The spokesman of the Lagos Airport Police Command, DSP Joseph Alabi confirmed the deportation of the 29 Nigerians and two Togolese.

Alabi said the deportees were received by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the police.
He said also others at the airport to receive them were officials the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

Alabi said nine of the persons, who were repatriated for alleged drug-related offences, were handed over to the NDLEA, while two others who were deported for criminal offences were handed over to the police.

Alabi said the remaining deportees who allegedly committed immigration-related offences, were profiled and set free to leave for their respective destinations.