The British government yesterday deported about one hundred and twenty Nigerians from the United Kingdom over immigration offences ranging from lack of valid papers in their host country, over lack of the required stay permit and other related offences.
The deportees were said to have arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport Lagos aboard a chartered cargo aircraft in the early hours of yesterday so as not to draw undue attention.
According to a source who pleaded anonymity noted that the deportees were mainly young men and women who were aggrieved of being repatriated back to Nigeria unprepared.
Vanguard reports that most of the deportees wearing woe-begun looks, were busy making phone calls to their friends and relatives with a view to picking them up at the airport, even as they made frantic efforts to move their luggage neatly packed with some Ghana Must Go bags from the cargo wing of the airport into the main gate to access any part of town.
Scores of airport workers stopped by to interface the deportees, as some of them narrated their experience of not knowing what to fall back on, now that they were back in the country they left many years ago.
One of the deportees contacted Mr. Wale told Saturday Vanguard that he blamed the Nigeria government for his predicament as well as other deportees from the UK stressing that if the country’s economic situation were pleasant, Nigerians would not have any business traveling abroad to humiliate themselves in a bid to survive.
Mr. Wale said : " How do I cope now that we have been sent home unprepared."
Meanwhile another deportee, a young lady who did not want her name in print said : " I am not interested in discussing why we were brought back home, but, my problem now is how to get out of this international airport without drawing unusual attention. I must add that it is not a pleasant experience."
Cars, mainly commercial limousine operators and car hire operators were also seen lined up at the main entrance of the cargo terminal to ferry the willing deportees to their respective destination.
Meanwhile, scores of security officials were on hand to ensure the situation does not degenerate into violent in whatever form.
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