On the 19^th of December last, a number of Nigerians were deported from Dublin to Lagos on Virgin Nigeria flight VK 299.  According to eye witnesses who were fellow passengers in the aircraft, there were about 7 deportees accompanied by 20 security personnel.  These ‘normal’ passengers who were all in the economy side of the aircraft (the Irish Government paid for seats in the business class for the purpose of deportation) said they had no access (not sure if they were condoned off with wood or metal) to the business class which is normally blocked off by an ordinary curtain.

For the records, there is no direct flight between Ireland and Nigeria.  So it was with great excitement when Virgin Nigeria announced that its maiden flight between Ireland and Nigeria would operate on the 19^th of December.  The price for a return ticket on this flight was 1,300 euros.

According to Metro Éireann newspaper, the airline’s Chief Operating Officer, Dr. Yemi Osindero described this event as “our special holiday gift to the Nigerian community in Dublin to help encourage relations between both nations”.  On the morning of the flight, representatives of Virgin Nigeria, the Nigerian Embassy and other Nigerians were entertained with drinks and music was supplied by the Igbo Community, Ireland at the Dublin airport.

I remember speaking on the phone to Virgin Nigeria’s Consultant in Dublin about getting a ticket for my friend’s mum who had somewhat become stranded in Ireland due to some administrative lapses.  She told me it would be an interesting flight since it was the first time.  She also said there would be a pre departure ceremony at the airport with champagne and that pepper soup and the famous Irish Guinness would be served to passengers on the flight as it was meant to be a celebratory flight.  In retrospect, I am glad my friend’s mum was not on the flight as she might have passed out before arriving in Nigeria judging by the experience of other passengers on the flight.

On passenger said other passengers on the flight got very upset.  He said the first deportee who came out of the prison van to board the flight was struggling.  He was slammed on the tarmac by the security personnel until there was no energy left in him.  He was then bundled into the flight.  This happened under the full view of other passengers who had boarded the flight before the arrival of the prison van.  Another male deportee screamed from the beginning of the flight until they arrived in Lagos. Some of the ordinary passengers have video clips of the encounter.

My anger is that the flight was publicized as a ground breaking and excellent opportunity to grow links between Nigeria and Ireland and to move the existing relationship to the next level.  However, it turned out that the airline had other motives.  It cleverly deceived Nigerians into buying tickets on the flight just to make mega profits.  Why subject other Nigerians to the humiliation of watching fellow Nigerians being treated like animals?  How do you grow relations between two countries by deceiving people into buying tickets on a deportation flight?  I am sure if the ordinary passengers who bought tickets on the Virgin Nigeria flight knew it was going to be a deportation flight, they would have thought twice.

Now the Guardian newspapers published in its edition of the 20^th December that according to an official of the Nigerian Immigration Service, the deportees were sent back home “after committing offences ranging from credit card fraud, impersonation, robbery and other criminal activities”.  While I am not in a position to refute or confirm these claims, was there any proof to confirm this claim on the part of the Irish authorities or is it just because it was alleged.  Were the deportees ever prosecuted for being involved the alleged offences in Ireland?  These are many questions that will never be answered.

One of the passengers on the flight VK 299 said the immigration formalities between the Irish and Nigerian security personnel upon arrival in Lagos was concluded in a matter of minutes right there on the tarmac.  Why should we just take the word of foreign security personnel without proof and subject our citizens to further torture without cause?  Don’t get me wrong, I do not condone any form of criminality, but everyone is presumed innocent until proven otherwise in a court of law.

The Nigerian authorities being what they are, one can only imagine the level of emotional and physical torture these deportees will be subjected to while in custody in their homeland.  I say this because a very good friend of mine was deported from Ireland to Lagos in March 2005 along with her children.  Her offence was that her asylum claim had failed.  She was detained at Alagbon close for 2 days, the only suitcase which was packed for her by some Irish friends after she was taken into custody was stolen at Alagbon and she was offered a mobile phone to contact relatives to bring a huge sum of money before she was released with her kids.  While been driven to the airport, in Dublin, she requested to use the toilet but was denied.  At a point she urinated on her body in full view of her kids.  Seeking asylum on its own is not a crime.

Robot  # 1 | 15.01.2008 12:42

var sbtitle1485=encodeURIComponent(Virgin Nige...Read the full article.

Exxcuzme  # 2 | 15.01.2008 13:01

You did not refute the voyage was maiden or not and was peppersoup and guiness served or not? Secondly why do some of the deportees struggle or scream without cause. They should behave like the Mexicans, if you are caught, you jejely let them deport you and you try to come again. One thing with law enforcement anywhere is that, one need to becareful with them. I was warned early in my American life, that when stopped by policemen why driving, you stop, have your hands visibly on the steeiring wheels. Remove them only when the police tells you. If you need to obtain your particulars from your trousers, let the police know your particulars are in your sokoto and if it is okay to reach in your trouser. If you dont want to be mistreated, dont argue with people with guns or the wherewithal to kill/maim you. You are black and you live in the white world!

truthsayer33  # 3 | 15.01.2008 13:58

I can't see the point of this article.If Nigerians being deported refuse to go quietly,how do you expect the authorities to behave? Well done Virgin Nigeria for having a direct link between Ireland and Nigeria.

dele26  # 4 | 15.01.2008 14:55

"She was detained at Alagbon close for 2 days, the only suitcase which was packed for her by some Irish friends after she was taken into custody was stolen at Alagbon and she was offered a mobile phone to contact relatives to bring a huge sum of money before she was released with her kids". So, who would you say treated her better? Is it those who forced her out because they didn’t want her or her own people who on arrival taxed her and her family before granting her freedom? Please let’s grow up and stop the show of sentiment

Palamedes  # 5 | 15.01.2008 17:54

Reading the commentaries before me, I feel total shame to call myself a Nigerian alongside these lot. truthsayer33 even questioned the purpose of the article. Indeed, I am truly ashamed of you all. And then there is dele26, spokesperson for the 'other side'—he can only be a Nigerian: It is irrelevant who treated her better. How I treat my brothers and sisters is no business of an outsider; it should not be a base for comparison. If I smack my child, does that give an outsider the right to smack my child too? Other countries treat their own people poorly, but let a foreign country do the same to them and see how their governments and fellow citizens react to any such treatment. Even after being found guilty and sentenced by foreign courts, these criminals are still treated as innocent and supported by their fellow country men and women-- Just ask the BBC. If these commentators were humans, they would feel and understand the human side of the article. dele26 ask the reader to “...grow up and stop the show of sentiment”. Sentiment as any good dictionary would tell you is “a thought prompted by passion or feeling; a state of mind in view of some subject; feeling toward or respecting some person or thing; disposition prompting to action or expression". dele26 wants us to abandon what is part of every human being except if you are a Nigeria in the mold of the commentators above --And with these type of Nigerians, I expect to be accused of INSULTing them. Any wonder that Nigerians are treated so badly around the world—given the many Nigerians who are willing to volunteer to be spokesperson (without pay) for the 'other side'. Further, I am sure that if these commentators were passengers on the so-called 'maiden flight' or 'deportation flight', some might even be tempted to applaud the Irish Prison Officers as they offload their cargo. What is wrong with the Nigerian? Did our parents drop us on our heads when we were babies? Are we partially brain damaged as a result? Our outlook toward most things is rather unique in the world.--It borders on the illogical and counters man's instinct of self-preservation. BTW I don't know who allowed Virgin to add “Nigeria” to its name. Such privilege is only granted to organization established by its own citizens—certainly, not to a foreign-owned organization.

Zanubia Wolf  # 6 | 15.01.2008 18:14

This story is factually incorrect! The Irish Government used the opportunity that V-Nigeria opened a route to Nigeria to Offload those Nigerians they wanted to deport!! Rather than open a route to Nigeria just to deport 7 people and ask... nice story But get your facts rights.

Dapxin  # 7 | 15.01.2008 21:38

=Zanubia Wolf;4294980277>This story is factually incorrect! The Irish Government used the opportunity that V-Nigeria opened a route to Nigeria to Offload those Nigerians they wanted to deport!! Rather than open a route to Nigeria just to deport 7 people and ask... nice story But get your facts rights. Either way, it doesn't really matter. It is a sorry sorry sorry story of our collective lives & generation. Its one thing to be taken for a ride at home, you run away from it, its worse when you are again taken for a ride, on a foreign soil, with the connivance of your home people. No win, all loses situation The equation called Nigeria is such a pain.

Lagos Boy  # 8 | 16.01.2008 05:26

Foreigners, whether in the form of their governments of their private companies will continue to treat Nigerians poorly as long as we do not value our own. We have a foreign affairs minister who is so appointed due his loyalty to a party that has institutionalised money laundering. Such complaints should be routed to his office and lets see if he will attemot to earn his salary.

Kelechi  # 9 | 16.01.2008 06:07

I happened to be one of the 'community leaders' invited to the pre-maiden flight 'celebrations'. I was shocked to learn that that very flight had been used to carry deportees. My feeling after wards was one of bitterness and humiliation. Even as I write now I am ashamed to be associated with that deceptive event which was only organised in my own opinion to humiliate Nigerians. Why fete Nigerians with Champaign and exotic lunches only to watch other fellow Nigerians bundled unto the same flight for deportation. Huh, Virgin Nigeria indeed! No true Nigerian carrier would treat Nigerians in that sordid and hypocritical manner and even if it did, that would be for Nigerians to worry about. . I can imagine all those foreigners who were in the know having a field day and laughing their heads off! At any rate, I believe the Nigerian Embassy has registered its disproval for the method deployed in celebrating the so called Ireland to Nigeria maiden flight.

bennie  # 10 | 16.01.2008 06:22

Zanubia Wolf Thanks for your comment. To the best of my knowledge, there will not be any Virgin Nigeria flight from Ireland to Nigeria any time soon. That was the maiden and only flight!. Exxcuzme, Thanks for your comment. Even if there was peppersoup and Guiness, the ordinary passengers will not enjoy it as their 'throatal canals' would have been badly irritated from the sad experience of flight. The other thing is that the passenger who was screaming said he was not a Nigerian and should not be deported to the country. As you may know, there is a case currently before a Nigerian law court where an individual claims that he is an American but was wrongfully deported to Nigeria. It will be interesting to see how that turns out. Have a great day one and all. Bennie

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