The United States has started deportation proceedings for Nigerian nationals, with 85 individuals expected to land in Lagos, while 116 others are still in custody.
US ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, explained the proceedings during a courtesy visit to the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu at the Tafawa Balewa House, Abuja.
Mills emphasised that individuals serving prison sentences in the US would be among the first group of deportees.
“Those to be repatriated would be dropped in Lagos. There would not be room for whether it should be in Port Harcourt or Abuja.
“The first group will be convicted prisoners—those who committed crimes and are in US prisons. Some of them are those who have clearly violated US immigration laws.
“They appealed but were denied, yet they are still in the US. They have committed immigration crimes, people who have been ordered to leave,” Mills stated.
Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, who expressed concerns over the process in a statement signed by her media aide, Magnus Eze, on Sunday, disclosed that “with about 201 Nigerians currently detained in US immigration centres and about 85 cleared for deportation,” the government is advocating for adherence to internationally prescribed guidelines.
She also reiterated the government’s stance in a post on her official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, titled: “US Deportations Begin.”
Bianca expressed concerns over the emotional and financial impact of deportations on Nigerians in the US and their families, emphasising the need for humane and compliant processes.
“With the new administration in the US, we want a situation where there will be commitments. If there will be repatriation, we want a dignified return.
“At the moment, we’re told that about 201 Nigerian nationals are in US immigration camps, and about 85 have been cleared for deportation.
“Will there be any way of ameliorating their pains? This has been of great concern to not just Nigerian nationals in the US, but family members in Nigeria who depend on them for survival, children whose school fees are paid for by these diasporans.
“We are asking as a country whether they will be given ample time to handle their assets or will they just be bundled into planes and repatriated? It will really be traumatic, especially for those who had not committed any violent crime,” she stated.
