Ireland has deported 35 Nigerian nationals for violating immigration laws, according to a statement released by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), which coordinated the operation.
The deportees included five children and nine women, with officials confirming that the children were members of family units. The group was removed from the country via a chartered flight that departed Dublin Airport on the night of Wednesday, June 4, 2025, and arrived in Nigeria the following morning.
According to *Irish Legal News*, the operation marked Ireland’s third charter deportation flight this year and the first directed to an African country in 2025. The country began using chartered flights for deportations in February as part of a new approach to enforcing immigration decisions.
Ireland’s Justice Minister, Jim O’Callaghan, underscored the necessity of a rules-based immigration process. He stated that enforcing deportation orders is essential to maintaining public trust in the immigration system.“Ireland has a rules-based immigration system. It is important that those rules are robust and enforced. The return of people whose applications have been refused and deportation orders have issued is the foundation of any modern rules-based immigration process,” he said.
He added that those wishing to reside in Ireland must pursue legal pathways to migration. “If a person’s application for international protection is refused and they are ordered to leave the State, they must do so,” he reiterated.
O’Callaghan described the chartered deportation as a message of deterrence, signaling the consequences of remaining in Ireland without legal authorization. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to enforcing immigration laws in a fair but firm manner.
The deportation flight was briefly delayed by an onboard medical emergency, which was resolved before continuing to its destination. All 35 deportees reportedly arrived safely in Nigeria.
Source : https://www.vanguardngr.com/
