There are currently 36 Nigerian migrants in the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), including children deported from Sweden.
According to Alhaji Tijani Ahmed, Federal Commissioner, NCFRMI, deportees are typically contacted due to overstaying in the host nation or having an expired VISA during the returnee screening.
Jerrymusa.com reports that the Director of Migration Affairs of the Commission, Amb. Catherine Udida, on behalf of Commissioner Ahmed, stated on Thursday that the Swedish government must have informed the returnees of the consequences of their illegal status.
As he put it, “if you fail, it will start processing their deportation because it is different from coming back voluntarily.” The Swedish government will “give them two or three trials of opportunities for them to return.”
He claimed that when the returnees were profiled, they would be given housing, dignity kits, and allowances.
We have done a vulnerability assessment, selected the most at-risk individuals, and are now taking them to a hotel to try to get to the bottom of their problems before providing them with recommendations.
“Typically, if people come freely, a livelihood assistance system is made available, so you receive training and start-up funds.
“Because they were deported, the onus is on us, the government, to make their lives as comfortable as possible,” Ahmed said.
He noted that the government may hold returns for up to a year and assured them that the Commission would see to their well-being regardless of whether they were deported or not.
Therefore, he informed the returnees that “Nigeria is their country, and there are a lot of opportunities for them to utilise,” regardless of the reasons for their return.
According to Nwoha, immigration regulations vary from nation to nation, with some requiring citizens to renew their passports well in advance of their expiration dates.
They don’t realise that you can renew your documents at any time before they run out.
Furthermore, IRARA’s mission is to ensure the safety of Nigerian passengers. Some were probably picked up off the streets, while others were probably taken back from detention institutions.
We know that returning would be challenging, so we’re helping them out by giving them a safe place to stay the night, food, cash, and amenities before they continue on to their final destinations.
“Most importantly, we want to set up an income-generating activity to welcome them back in a dignified way,” said Nwoha.
According to him, everyone who returned was given N158,000, even the kids.
One of the deportees said he was receiving medical care at the time of his removal from the country.
Although I was in Sweden to apply for asylum, “I thought they were taking me to another hospital before I realised I had found myself in Abuja.”
Another returnee claimed to have been married to a Swedish national at the time she was abducted from her home.
I’m not even healthy, and I don’t know anyone in Nigeria; my entire family lives in the UK, she explained.