Japa: Turkey Deports 103 Nigerians

The Federal Government at the weekend received about 103 Nigerians deported from Turkey over migration-related issues that included; expired visas and irregular migration, among others.

Alhaji Tijani Ahmed, Federal Commissioner of National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), who announced this while profiling the deportees in Abuja, said that while the Commission expected 110 of the deportees, it however received 103, all males.

Ahmed, who was represented by Amb. Catherine Udida, Director, Migration Affairs of the commission, said that some of the deportees have been at the deportation camp for some months, adding that now that they are here, the commission will follow up on all the allegations gathered in their profiling.

He said; “We will go through the profiling forms, because some of them have said that their passports were seized.

We are going to follow up with the Turkish authority because the passports are still the property of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

The commissioner said that the NCFRMI is the mandate agency responsible for all returnees, irrespective of their status, saying that the commission has a programme where the deportees are trained and thereafter reintegrated into society.

Also speaking, Mr Bashir Garga, the North-Central Zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), assured the returnees of the government’s readiness to support them through collaborative efforts of all relevant agencies.

Speaking on his experience, one of the deportees, Mr Arinze Stone, said the Turkish authorities arrested and detained him in the camp for about six months, adding that he had been living and doing business in Turkey for quite some years.

Stone alleged that it was since the European Union started paying Turkey for illegal immigrants, that the government stopped issuing and renewing resident permits.

According to him; “Each day, the European Union pays 120 Euros per head of immigrants in the Immigration Camp. Ever since I had been in Turkey, I always had my resident permit renewed. It just got expired and Turkish authorities collected 700 euros from me for tax and insurance and then cancelled the renewal”.

Stone also said that the deportation fee of about 2,500 Euros that was supposed to be given to each victim was not paid.

Another of the deportees, Moses Emeh, said he had a registered company in Turkey that had been functioning for more than eight years, adding that he equally had a valid resident permit, which was forcibly cancelled.

He said; “I had earlier planned to convert it into working permit. I don’t know where to start from. But I believe this is a diplomatic issue and I trust our Foreign Affairs minister to follow it up.

“I also think that they should have a sensitization programme for Nigerians still living over there in Turkey because the Turkish government is not being sincere and transparent with us,” he stressed. Emeh stated.

Emeh said that he was arrested and put in a dungeon for 11 months and three weeks and told that if he does not sign the deportation documents, he would have to stay in their custody for one to two years, after which he could be released and given immigration documents to sign before he could be reintegrated into the system, adding that the Turkish authorities did fulfilled it.

In his words; “I know that occupying a territory without a permit is a crime, but mine was forcibly terminated twice and I took the case to court. Since my case was already in court and the court was yet to preside over my case, I don’t think it is right for them to deport me”.

The returnees were given some dignity kits, starter packs, and stipends by the commission to enable them travel to their respective places.