The Irish government has spent a whooping €324,714, about ₦577 million, to deport 35 Nigerians back to Lagos via a chartered flight, according to Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ News), Ireland’s national broadcaster.
The deportation flight, which departed from Dublin Airport on Wednesday night, reportedly carried 21 Nigerian men, 9 women, and 5 children. The operation was conducted by An Garda Síochána (Irish Police), the Department of Justice, and prison officers, all of whom accompanied the deportees.
Ireland’s Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, disclosed the cost of the operation and made it known that the individuals were previously served deportation orders.
“People need to know that if they are served with a deportation order, it has meaning, and the meaning is that you are not entitled to stay in Ireland. If it is the case that you’re not permitted to stay, whether you have overstayed your work visa or haven’t been granted asylum, there must be a consequence,” the minister was quoted as saying.
He also confirmed the flight made an unscheduled stop due to a medical issue, but all deportees safely arrived in Lagos by Thursday morning.
This is the third chartered deportation flight Ireland has used this year, with the minister noting that such operations demonstrate the country’s seriousness in enforcing immigration rules.
As of Saturday afternoon, the euro-to-naira exchange rate stood at ₦1,777.43 per €1, putting the cost of the deportation at approximately ₦577 million.
Reacting to the development, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), through its spokesperson Abdur-Rahman Balogun, stated that there was nothing unusual about the deportation and that prior notification to NIDCOM was not required.
“There is no big deal in that. They have been deporting Nigerians before now. So, the country doesn’t have to inform us when it is not NIDCOM that is bringing the people. They have been deporting people. Once you run afoul of the law of the land, they have the right to deport. So they don’t have to inform us,” Balogun said.
Ireland resumed the use of chartered deportation flights in February 2025, and so far, 106 individuals have been deported through this method.
The Irish Department of Justice confirmed that 2,403 deportation orders were signed in 2024, with more charter operations expected in the coming months.
