Nigeria: U.S. Deports 60 Citizens (This Day c/o AllAfrica.com)

Nigeria: U.S. Deports 60 Citizens

Chinedu Eze
12 March 2009

Lagos — United States of America has deported 60 Nigerians for committing various offences ranging from stealing, credit card fraud and immigration misdemeanors.

The deportees, consisting of 53 men and seven females, were brought into the country through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport , Lagos, by 2.00 p.m. yesterday, by private aircraft chartered by the American authorities.

The deportees were accompanied by law enforcement agents from the United States.

Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) source said 14 of the deportees were repatriated based on drug related offences, while others committed other immigration offences, ranging from illegal permit to fake visas.

They were received by Immigration officers, Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other law enforcement agencies.

The 14 drug offenders were whisked away by NDLEA officials for scrutiny, while immigration officials took those with illegal immigration papers into custody.

Those cleared of any criminal offence were transferred to the hajj camp side of the international airport, from where they were allowed to go to their homes.

According to the immigration source, the issue of deportation had been a daily recurrence at the international airport where Nigerians are regularly deported from Libya, Egypt, Italy, Rome, Europe and America.