Japa: Canada Deports Asylum-Seeking Nigerian Family Of 10

A family of 10 has been deported to Nigeria after their refugee claim was denied under the Canadian immigration law, despite widespread community support and last-minute appeals to halt their removal.

The family–mother Taiwo Fayemi and her nine children, aged four to 19– left Canada on Sunday after being ordered deported by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), according to Fort Erie Radio. Fayemi told CHCH that she feared for her children’s safety if deported.

She said: “It’s just like, the government that we seek refuge from here in Canada, is putting the whole family in a body bag and sending us back to our country.” The family had lived in Fort Erie for three years after crossing into Canada from the United States through Roxham Road, a rural crossing point between New York state and Quebec that gained national attention for irregular border entries.

According to CTV News, Fayemi said the family decided not to return to Nigeria after her husband, Afeez Fayemi, was kidnapped there during a political dispute. According to CTV, Fayemi’s original refugee claim was denied after Canadian authorities determined that she had not provided sufficient evidence the family would face persecution or harm if returned to Nigeria, which resulted in a deportation order.

Fayemi said one of her daughters, Amirat, has acute myeloid leukemia and remains in need of bone marrow treatment in Ontario. She told CTV that the family had filed a humanitarian and compassionate application with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada earlier this year, but that their deportation date arrived before their latest application was reviewed.

A CBSA spokesperson told CTV that the agency “has a legal obligation to remove all foreign nationals found to be inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act” and that such removals “play a critical role in supporting the integrity of Canada’s immigration system.”

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