No fewer than 23 Nigerians deported from Spain for committing various offences arrived Tuesday at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMlA), Lagos. This is the third deportation of Nigerians from Europe and Libya after almost a month break due to the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
DSP Joseph Alabi, the spokesman of the Lagos Airport Police Command who confirmed the arrival said the deportees, comprising 21 males and two females, were brought back in a Privilege Style aircraft with registration number EC-IZO.
According to Alabi, “ the deportees were received by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) , the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) and the Police. Also present to receive them were officials the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)”. He also said “ Nine of the suspects, who were deported for drug-related offences, were handed over to the NDLEA. Two others who were deported for criminal offences were handed over to the police. And the remaining 12 deportees who allegedly committed immigration-related offences were profiled and allowed to go to their respective destinations”.
About 34 Nigerians were last week also deported from six European countries for committing immigration-related offences. They were deported from Switzerland, Germany, Iceland, Austria, Belgium and Hungary. The deportees, comprising 32 males and two females, were brought back in a chartered Airblue Panorama aircraft. Last week deportation came barely two days after 175 Nigerians who voluntarily agreed to be deported from Libya arrived the cargo section of the Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos aboard a chartered Nouvelair aircraft with registration number TS-INA.
The returnees, made up of 34 males, 122 females, 10 children and nine infants, were assisted back to Nigeria by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM9) and the Nigerian Embassy in Libya.