THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
The wave of deportations of Nigerians from European countries continues unabated as 50 of them were forcibly repatriated on Thursday from Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Luxembourg, Austria, Belgium, Spain and Hungary.
The 48 males and two females arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, in a chartered aircraft.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the deportees were sent back to their home country for committing immigration-related offences.
Many of the deportees were said to be confused and disoriented on their arrival as their relatives were not aware of their coming and hence nobody was at the airport to receive them.
The spokesman for the Lagos Airport Police Command, Joseph Alabi, confirmed the development.
“This morning, we received 50 Nigerians who were brought back from Europe,” he said.
Alabi added that three males came in from Switzerland; seven from Germany; four from Sweden; six from Luxembourg; 17 males and one female from Austria.
He revealed that one female was deported from Belgium; five males from Spain and six males from Hungary as well.
Alabi said the deportees were received by officers of the Nigeria Immigration Service, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons and the police.
Also on the ground to receive them were officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency.
The latest group deportation follows the repatriation of 23 Nigerians from the United Kingdom on 31 March. Since the beginning of the year, there have been several mass deportations of Nigerians from various European countries.
Under the auspices of the International Organisation for Migration, hundreds of Nigerians and other West Africans are currently being repatriated from Libya to their home countries as well.
Analysts say the European Union is getting tough on unregulated immigration to discourage potential migrants from leaving their homelands without visas.
Kola Tella
