By Louis Ibah
South Africa has deported 97 Nigerians for the violation of the country’s immigration laws and for other criminal offences.
Immigration sources told Daily Sun that the deportees arrived the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport Lagos late Monday night onboard a chartered aircraft marked GBB710 from Johannesburg, South Africa.
Those deported comprised 95 males and two females. It was learnt that while six of them were deported for alleged trading and consuming of illegal drugs in that country, 10 were arrested and deported for other minor criminal offences like being of violent or unruly behavior. The other 81 deportees had breached the immigration laws of the country, with the bulk on this category having overstayed their visas.
Those deported for drug and criminal offences were immediately handed over to the Nigerian Police for further prosecution while others with civil related cases were left to go home after being profiled by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).
In recent weeks, Nigerians and Nigerian businesses have been targets of repeated xenophobic attacks in South Africa with the Nigerian government demanding for more protection for Nigerians residing in that country. The South African government has however promised to rid the country of all illegal immigrants and the deportation of the 97 Nigerians may just be the start in a series of deportation of hundreds of Nigerians residing illegally in South Africa.
The Nigerian government on its part has stepped up efforts in bringing back its citizens abused, trapped or stranded as illegal immigrants in Libya and Mali.
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