Nigerian deported from US says Ghanaian officials ‘dumped’ him in Togo

By Nkiruka Nnorom

A Nigerian deported from the United States to Ghana has cried retired that helium was present stranded successful Togo aft being secretly transferred crossed the borderline on with 5 others by Ghanaian officials.

The man, who spoke to the BBC connected information of anonymity, said they were initially told they would beryllium moved from a subject campy to amended accommodation, but were “dumped” successful Togo instead.

According to the deportee, the radical is taken done a backmost way into Togo, allegedly aft section constabulary were bribed, without notifying Togolese authorities.

He said:  “They did not instrumentality america done the main border; they took america done the backmost door. They paid the constabulary determination and dropped america successful Togo.”

He said 4 of the deportees, including 3 Nigerians and a Liberian, had since checked into a edifice successful Lomé, the Togolese capital, conscionable crossed the border, with nary documents.

‘’They are relying connected edifice unit to person fiscal assistance from relatives abroad.  We’re struggling to past successful Togo without immoderate documentation.

“None of america has household successful Togo. We’re conscionable stuck successful a hotel. Right now, we’re conscionable trying to past until our lawyers tin assistance america with this situation,’’ helium explained.

The deportee said conditions astatine the Ghanaian subject campy were harsh, describing them arsenic “deplorable.”

He told BBC:  “Life determination was truly hard, truthful we asked for a amended place, amended medication, amended healthcare and amended water.’’

He added that erstwhile officials arrived days later, claiming to determination them to a hotel, they ended up successful Togo instead.

“When we arrived, we asked what we were doing astatine the border, and they told america they wanted america to motion immoderate paperwork, truthful they could instrumentality america to a hotel, but we didn’t motion anything,” helium said.

The deportee besides spoke of the idiosyncratic interaction of his removal, lamenting “I person a location successful the US wherever my kids live.

‘’How americium I expected to wage the mortgage? I don’t cognize however they’ll negociate portion I’m gone. My kids can’t spot me, and it’s conscionable truthful stressful.’’

He is simply a subordinate of the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement, an activistic organisation advocating for a breakaway authorities successful south-west Nigeria, and fears returning location could enactment him astatine hazard of apprehension oregon torture.

He besides claimed, being a subordinate of the Yoruba Self-Determination Movement,  to person a US court-ordered extortion that should person prevented his deportation, though the US authorities has not explained its decision.

The deportee was portion of a wider radical of West Africans, including nationals from Togo, Liberia and The Gambia, who were flown from US detention facilities to Ghana past month.

Lawyers for the radical person filed ineligible enactment against some the US and Ghana, alleging violations of their rights.

Ghanaian officials, including Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, said the state accepted the deportees retired of “pan-African empathy”, adding that nary fiscal inducement was involved.

The deportation deal, announced by President John Mahama, has sparked calls from absorption MPs to suspend the statement until it was ratified by parliament.

However, the authorities plans to judge different 40 deportees.

Recall that some the ministry of overseas affairs and the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM, had told Vanguard past week that they were not alert of deportation of immoderate Nigerian to Ghana by the US government.

The station Nigerian deported from US says Ghanaian officials ‘dumped’ him successful Togo appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.