From US to Nowhere: Nigerian Deportee Makes Startling Revelation About Deportation
- West Africans deported from the United States to Ghana have stirred attention over their repatriation
- A Nigerian man deported from the US to Ghana said he is now stranded in Togo after being secretly transferred across the border along with five others
- The worried man, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said they were “dumped” in Togo
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering global affairs.
Accra, Ghana - A Nigerian man deported from the US to Ghana has revealed that he is now stuck in a hotel in Togo.
According to the BBC in a report on Wednesday, October 1, this was after he and five others were secretly transferred to the neighbouring country by Ghanaian officers.
Source: Getty Images
The man said they were informed they would be moved from a military camp to better accommodation, but were then "dumped" in Togo.
Legit.ng recalls that in September, Ghanaian President John Mahama confirmed that his government had agreed to receive deportees from the United States.
Source: Getty Images
According to Ghanaian officials, at least 28 people have arrived so far on two US flights, though exact figures remain unclear. Some of the deportees had secured protection orders from US immigration courts barring their return to their countries of origin because of the risk of persecution.
Benjamin, a Nigerian who requested that only his first name be used, said he was placed on a military plane bound for Ghana despite a court ruling that prohibited his deportation to Nigeria.
He described being beaten by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers after he refused to board the aircraft.
He said:
“The situation is terrible."
Source: Getty Images
Legit.ng reports that the US government deported Benjamin along with other West African nationals - as part of its crackdown on immigration.
Ghana's foreign minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa previously said the government had accepted the deportees in the spirit of "pan-African empathy".
The Nigerian, who has requested anonymity for safety reasons, alleged that Ghanaian officers took him and the five other deportees into Togo through a back route. He further claimed that this was done after bribing local police, and without informing Togolese authorities of their entry.
He said:
"They did not take us through the main border, they took us through the back door. They paid the police there and dropped us in Togo."
The Togolese authorities have not commented on the alleged presence of the deportees on their territory.
He added:
"None of us has family in Togo. We're just stuck in a hotel."
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Reactions as US lifts visa ban on Ghana
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the US lifted the visa restriction on Ghana following the emergence of the West African nation as a deportation hub in the immigration crackdown of President Donald Trump.
Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, the foreign minister of Ghana, announced the development in a social media post, which has started generating mixed reactions from Ghanaians.
Source: Legit.ng
