15 February 2001 Edition
Nigerians face deportation
On Monday evening there were two quite innocent people held in Dublin's Mountjoy Jail. They had been arrested at their workplaces last week by immigration officers. They were handcuffed and taken to jail to await deportation.
Blessing Ogueri is a preacher who witnessed a massacre of fellow Christians in Nigeria. He fled for his life when he was tipped off about a threat to kill him from Hausa Moslems, who accused him of burning a mosque. Blessing emphatically denies this. The Nigerian Government is strongly dominated by Hausa and has introduced the Sharia (Moslem) law. Ogueri fears for his life if he is returned to Nigeria to the hands of Hausa government officials.
Following the deal which Minister O'Donoghue reached with the Nigerian government last year, he will be handed to Hausa government officials on deportation. Blessing says this is to his death or to imprisonment in atrocious conditions.
Anthony Benson was living in Dundalk and works at Quantum. His partner, who has refugee status, is six months pregnant with his child. Despite this clear entitlement to be given asylum here, Anthony is in Mountjoy, awaiting deportation. If he isn't granted a judicial review of his case this week, he too will be deported.
Both Anthony and Blessing want to fire their solicitor, who they believe has been very remiss in pursuit of their cases, but he has refused to release their case papers until the payment of over £1,500 is made. Neither Anthony nor Blessing have any way of raising these sums.
Rosanna Flynn, a member of Residents Against Racism, points out that ``the government and media here in Ireland have lulled people into the entirely false opinion that Nigeria is a democratic and free country, where government has respect for human rights. It is a convenient misrepresentation, which undoubtedly will lead to the death of many people who seek asylum here, and are refused.''
Stop Deportations
Ursula Fraser from Amnesty International addressed a packed meeting last Thursday, 8 February in Dublin called to initiate a campaign to stop deportations. Speakers at the meeting included Seamus Dooley from the NUJ, community worker John Bissett, Pat Guerin from the Anti Racism Campaign, and Ebi Ojoh, a Nigerian from Waterford who was the centre of a campaign last year by local people, who called on Minister O'Donoghue to grant her the right to refugee status.
Blessing Ogueri is a preacher who witnessed a massacre of fellow Christians in Nigeria. He fled for his life when he was tipped off about a threat to kill him from Hausa Moslems, who accused him of burning a mosque. Blessing emphatically denies this. The Nigerian Government is strongly dominated by Hausa and has introduced the Sharia (Moslem) law. Ogueri fears for his life if he is returned to Nigeria to the hands of Hausa government officials.
Following the deal which Minister O'Donoghue reached with the Nigerian government last year, he will be handed to Hausa government officials on deportation. Blessing says this is to his death or to imprisonment in atrocious conditions.
Anthony Benson was living in Dundalk and works at Quantum. His partner, who has refugee status, is six months pregnant with his child. Despite this clear entitlement to be given asylum here, Anthony is in Mountjoy, awaiting deportation. If he isn't granted a judicial review of his case this week, he too will be deported.
Both Anthony and Blessing want to fire their solicitor, who they believe has been very remiss in pursuit of their cases, but he has refused to release their case papers until the payment of over £1,500 is made. Neither Anthony nor Blessing have any way of raising these sums.
Rosanna Flynn, a member of Residents Against Racism, points out that ``the government and media here in Ireland have lulled people into the entirely false opinion that Nigeria is a democratic and free country, where government has respect for human rights. It is a convenient misrepresentation, which undoubtedly will lead to the death of many people who seek asylum here, and are refused.''
Stop Deportations
Ursula Fraser from Amnesty International addressed a packed meeting last Thursday, 8 February in Dublin called to initiate a campaign to stop deportations. Speakers at the meeting included Seamus Dooley from the NUJ, community worker John Bissett, Pat Guerin from the Anti Racism Campaign, and Ebi Ojoh, a Nigerian from Waterford who was the centre of a campaign last year by local people, who called on Minister O'Donoghue to grant her the right to refugee status.