Turkey Deports 103 Nigerians: EU Allegedly Pays €120 Daily Per Detained Immigrant

The Federal Government has received 103 Nigerians deported from Turkey due to migration-related issues such as expired visas and irregular migration.

Alhaji Tijani Ahmed, the Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), stated this during the deportees’ profiling in Abuja. Represented by Ambassador Catherine Udida, the Director of Migration Affairs, Ahmed noted that the commission expected 110 deportees but received 103, all males.

“Some of them have been in the deportation camp for some months. And now that they are here, we are hoping to follow up on all the allegations gathered in their profiling,” Ahmed said. He assured that the NCFRMI would follow up with Turkish authorities regarding the seized passports, which remain the property of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Mr. Bashir Garga, the North-Central Zonal Coordinator of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), assured the returnees of government support through collaborative efforts with relevant agencies.

One deportee, Mr. Arinze Stone, claimed that Turkish authorities detained him for six months despite living in Turkey for years and maintaining valid residency permits. Stone alleged that Turkey stopped issuing and renewing permits since the European Union began paying Turkey €120 per detained immigrant daily.

“Each day, the European Union pays 120 Euros per head of immigrants in the Immigration Camp,” Stone said. He added that despite paying 700 Euros for tax and insurance, his permit renewal was canceled, and the deportation fee of about 2,500 Euros was not paid to him.

Another deportee, Mr. Moses Emeh, who had run a company in Turkey for over eight years, shared similar grievances. He claimed that his resident permit was forcibly canceled and he was detained for nearly a year. “I also think that they should have a sensitization program for Nigerians still living over there in Turkey, because the Turkish government is not being sincere and transparent with us,” Emeh stated.

The returnees received dignity kits, starter packs, and stipends to aid their travel to their respective places.