The government of the Republic of Ireland has deported 35 Nigerian nationals, including five children, in a chartered flight that left Dublin Airport on Wednesday night, June 4, 2025.
Reports from the Irish Mirror confirmed that the deportees included 21 men, nine women, and five children, all of whom arrived in Nigeria on Thursday morning.
Irish Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, confirmed the deportation and noted that the flight experienced a minor delay due to a medical incident on board.
“I am happy to say that the return was completed, despite the unscheduled stop caused by a medical situation on the aircraft,” O’Callaghan said.
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Though the Irish authorities did not state the precise grounds for the deportations, O’Callaghan reiterated the country’s immigration policy framework.
“Ireland has a rules-based immigration system. It is important that those rules are robust and enforced,” the Minister stated.
The chartered flight reportedly departed late on Wednesday and landed in Nigeria after a scheduled journey disrupted briefly by a medical emergency.
The deportation involved collaboration between Irish immigration authorities and other relevant agencies, though no further details were disclosed.
In Nigeria, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, stated it was not informed of the deportation exercise prior to its occurrence.
“We were not notified about the deportation of these Nigerians from Ireland,” said Abdur-Rahman Balogun, spokesperson for NiDCOM, during a press interview on Thursday.
Balogun added that the Commission had not received any consular briefing or direct contact concerning the 35 individuals repatriated from Dublin.
As of Friday morning, no further statements had been issued by the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the development.
