No fewer than 500 migrants from West African countries, including Nigeria, deported from Gabon on Thursday berthed at the National Inland Waterways Authority jetty in Calabar, Cross River State after four days on the high sea.
One person, whose identity could not be disclosed, was said to have died shortly before departure from Gabon (also a West African country) and the corpse was removed from the ship with registration number EMILIANA CARNEIRO L-05-IS-2017.
A breakdown of the deportees showed that 36 of them are from Nigeria, 130 from Mali, Burkina Faso (87), Senegal (51), Niger (39), Guinea Conakry (37), Ghana (eight), Togo (43), Benin (21) and Gambia (3).
It was learnt that Gabon had on June 23 deported 590 citizens of other West African countries through the same Calabar waterways largely as a result of the lack of valid travel documents.
Apart from the Nigerians that were taken to NIWA office to be scrutinised by the immigration authorities for proper documentation, the other deportees were escorted straight into four waiting luxurious buses with capacity of 60 passengers each and 10 Toyota Hiace buses (18-seater each).
The Controller of Nigeria Immigration Service in Cross River State, Mrs. Funke Adeuyi, confirmed that the deportees were over 500 as against the 455 figure that was in the manifest.
She said the migrants would be transported to the nearest boarder to their country.
[Punch]
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