The Federal Government of Nigeria has voiced strong objections to the United States’ decision to deport 13 Nigerians and one Gambian to Ghana without prior consultation.
The deportees, transported on a U.S. military cargo plane, were handed over to Ghanaian authorities despite having no connections to the country.
Ghana’s Foreign Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, stated that Accra accepted the deportees on humanitarian grounds, driven by Ghana’s Pan-African principles, after other West African nations reportedly declined the U.S. request.
“We could not ignore the suffering of our fellow West Africans and made it clear to the U.S. that we would not accept any financial compensation,” Ablakwa said, noting the financial burden of the decision.Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through spokesperson Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, clarified that while Nigeria opposes the deportation of non-citizens into its territory, it welcomes the direct return of its citizens.
“There is no justification for routing them through another country,” Ebienfa stated.
Ghanaian officials, including Minister for Government Communications Felix Kwakye Ofosu, claimed the 14 deportees have been sent to their home countries, with the Gambian flown back and the Nigerians transported by bus.
However, lawyers representing four of the Nigerians disputed this, alleging in court filings and interviews with the Associated Press that their clients remain detained in a Ghanaian facility.
Ofosu denied these claims, insisting, “No one is being held, and their rights have not been violated.”
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