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Nigerians Claim Bribes to Accept Deportees

More news stories on Africa

John Mooney, Times of London, May 31, 2009

Authorities at Murtala Mohammed International airport in the Nigerian city of Lagos are demanding bribes from gardai before accepting illegal immigrants who are deported from Ireland.

Officials at the airport refuse to allow members of the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) to repatriate Nigerian deportees who arrive on board special charter flights unless they receive payments or gifts, including bottles of Irish whiskey.

The practice of supplying “gifts” to security officials at the airport, which is the main transit point for Nigerian nationals deported by gardai, has been in place for years.

Security sources say they have no option but to offer bribes to ensure that deportees are allowed to disembark from charter flights.

“If they didn’t get something out of each charter flight, by way of money or gifts, they wouldn’t allow the deportees to even step off the plane,” a source said. “Believe it or not, the situation at the airport has improved in recent years. It used to be worse.”

The money used to pay for such gifts is accounted for in expenses or petty cash by immigration officers. The alcohol is usually purchased by garda detectives prior to the departure of charter flights.

Murtala Mohammed International airport, which is 10 miles outside Lagos, has a reputation of being one of the most corrupt on the continent, although the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Aviation has made efforts to curb corruption among officials.

According to travel websites, tourists passing through the airport are advised to bring extra money to pay bribes to officials. Immigration officers often demand money before stamping passports, while customs officers sometimes levy non-existent taxes.

The practice of giving bribes to immigration and security officials is known to other European police forces who are tasked with repatriating Nigerian immigrants.

“More Nigerians apply for asylum in the EU than perhaps any other nationality,” said the security source.

“Most EU police forces charter flights to deport large numbers who have illegally entered the EU and all of them offer bribes, be they gifts or money, on arrival at Lagos.

“No police or immigration officer wants to go along with this, but it’s the way they do business out there and it’s the only way of ensuring that the Nigerian authorities will accept our deportees.”

The Department of Justice spent almost €6.5m deporting 1,493 failed asylum seekers between 2004 and 2008. It spent €727,197 deporting 95 asylum seekers in 2008.

Gardai usually have to accompany a failed asylum seeker in case they pose a security threat to airline staff.

Original article

(Posted on June 4, 2009)

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Comments

1 — Anonymous wrote at 2:15 AM on June 5:

It spent €727,197 deporting 95 asylum seekers in 2008.

If a mere 95 Nigerians are representative of an entire year’s efforts at deportation, then I fear that Ireland’s small population of 4 million could be easily swamped by a small portion of Nigeria’s 146,000,000, if given the opportunity.

Here’s another telling article from the previous year that seems to illustrate a trend of laxity in Ireland’s deportation proceedings.

If critical mass is allowed to reach colonizing levels, then we can say good-bye to the old Ireland.

2 — Wind In The Trees wrote at 3:22 AM on June 5:

Returning Africans to their homelands is not easy but worse is the fact that the European Union by virtue of its “laws” essentially has an open door policy for immigrants from the dark continent. The “Union” claims because of demographics 50 million Africans will be needed to replace the dying population of Europe. The “game” being played that Africans are being returned to the countries of origin is phoney most blacks once they arrive but what ever means are then fed, clothed and housed at tax payer expense. Politics and big business wants and demands immigration on a mass scale from Africa even though the result will mean the death of Europe as we know it. The pattern of ghetto building with crime and the break down of civilization much like in the large American cities is in full development in Europe as millions of Africans relocate and settle down to their new “lives” in their new surroundings paid for thanks to the efforts of the overtaxed working people of Europe.

3 — D. Andrews wrote at 4:40 AM on June 5:

isn’t it just typical of one of those horribly corrupt and backward african countries to export their worthless undesirables for europe to straighten out and refuse to take them back except for personal bribes - not payments to benefit the country as a whole.
please excuse my lack of capital letters or proper punctuation. my keyboard is on the blink.

4 — nokangaroos wrote at 10:33 PM on June 6:

Hmm … this might be something to ponder.
Why not make aid conditional upon their willingness to accept?
Heresaround, “refugees” have made it a habit to throw away their passports once they are in-country, and absent proof of their citizenship they cannot be deported.

I therefore propose a bilateral treaty with the Central African Republic: Generous aid in return for them accepting ALL our illegals.
(I will go for anything as long as it is quick, safe, and comparatively cheap - in that order)

5 — Anonymous wrote at 10:43 AM on June 7:

“Why not make aid conditional upon their willingness to accept?”

That in turn depends upon their leaders’ integrity. Despite all the negativity surrounding world leaders like Bush, Brown, Sarkozy et al., it’s pretty obvious they came to office to do good for the nation(whatever their idea of good is is irrelevant). In many African countries, Governments gain power through deceptive means. If accepting aid (which would help the nation), meant no more bribes (i.e. no money in their own pockets), they’re bound to reject. Just look at Equitorial Guinea; population 1,000,000. President’s Networth: 2.6 billion US dollars. Governments need to be found that have integrity, such as Algeria etc. for such a “aid for illegals” plan to work.


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