In spite of a loud outcry, Winifred Agimelen and her three children have been sent back to Nigeria after living in Montreal for six years.
The Canadian government deportation of Winifred Agimelen and her three children to Nigeria Sunday night hit a temporary snag, as it turned out that the mother did not have a necessary Nigerian visa for her third child, who is Canadian.
In spite of the visa issue, the family of four boarded a plane out of Montreal. Agimelen's current husband is a landed immigrant who lives here, but he does not have official custody rights for the Canadian child.
Protesters are decrying the forced deportation, as the order to leave stems from a complicated maze of immigration procedures that will divide the family and possibly subject them to danger in West Africa.
The three children were fathered by her ex-husband. The third was conceived in Nigeria but born in Canada.
Agimelen fled Nigeria after her first husband disappeared, possibly killed by people his father owed money to. She was kidnapped with her children and her daughter was threatened with genital mutilation as part of that affair. She arrived in Montreal six years ago.
The traumatic experience is believed to have the caused psychological damage to her eldest child and led her to flee to Canada.
The woman's lawyer worries that the child will not develop well in Africa.
"He's not going to receive services in Nigeria. There's no kind of therapy in Nigeria," said Agimelen's lawyer Angela Potvin. "We don't understand how Nigerian society works. It's a much more dangerous place than we know."
A distraught Agimelen told CTV Montreal that the expulsion and separation from her husband will be very challenging.
"Mostly I'm worried about the safety of my children because there is so much violence in Nigeria. There's news about kidnapping children in Nigeria. There's Boko Haram and Ebola in Nigeria, it gives me so much fear for me and my children," she said.
She says she has no place to stay in Nigeria and fears she will be targeted. She can't return to her hometown because she was subject to violence there, she explained.
Agimelen initially filed to stay in Canada as a refugee but has since married a man with landed resident status. He was deemed to be four months short of being permitted to sponsor Agimelen as his wife.
Last Friday Potvin applied for a five month extension to allow Agimelen's immigration application to be administered without her being forced to go to Nigeria, but it was denied.
Potvin says that the change of a single word in the rules has prevented the Canadian Border Services Agency from allowing the family to stay together, based on the difficulties it will pose to the eldest child.
"One child has PTSD from this kidnapping in Nigeria and there's jurisprudence that says this constitutes a 'special circumstance' but there was a subtle change made in the act. It used to say that someone could be removed as soon as 'practicable' but now it says 'as soon as possible,'" she said.
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Posted: at 15-02-2016 07:28 PM (8 years ago) | Addicted Hero
Machealex at 15-02-2016 07:48 PM (8 years ago) (m)
Nigeria don turn to a place where people fear to live. Because of all this useless people. But the truth is that there no place like home no matter what you enjoy in abroad. HOME IS HOME
Posted: at 15-02-2016 07:48 PM (8 years ago) | Gistmaniac
Jt cause d woman wants to stay in Canada she has to paint Africa/Nigeria bad? Na wa o. We dat are living here, are we dead or living in fear. Wat will pple not do to stay abroad.
Posted: at 15-02-2016 08:01 PM (8 years ago) | Addicted Hero
emma4love3 at 15-02-2016 10:50 PM (8 years ago) (m)
hehehe.....honey you are highly welcome oh Nigeria is the best place to stay on earth... this ur country so join us together we stand... INFACT JOIN US HERE ON NAIJAPALS.... tell that ur mumu lawyer say maje she shatup there what does she knw about my country.... HOME IS HOME honey .....
Posted: at 15-02-2016 10:50 PM (8 years ago) | Hero
emma4love3 at 15-02-2016 11:08 PM (8 years ago) (m)
my brother dareper....remain in that ur canada...but HOME IS HOME ooh... at least you are with us here chatting.... you fit no survive oooh if you come oh...we are moving....
Posted: at 15-02-2016 11:08 PM (8 years ago) | Hero
lilchuks28 at 15-02-2016 11:10 PM (8 years ago) (m)
For the sake of living Abroad, u are painting Nigeria Black? don't worry wen u are here finally u will have to adjust to all u said about Nigeria..... Que Sera Sera
Posted: at 15-02-2016 11:10 PM (8 years ago) | Upcoming
Deprince3 at 16-02-2016 06:06 AM (8 years ago) (m)
WHEN PEOPLE START SEEKING ASSYLUM BROAD THEY TALK ALL SHIT ABOUT NIGERIA THAT'S CRAZY, SO WHAT IS THIS WOMAN TRYING TO SAY IS KIDS DON'T SURVIVE IN NIGERIA ANYMORE ? SHE FORGET THAT'RE CANADIANS LIVING IN NIGERIA AND THEY DON'T HAVE EBOLA OR BEING KIDNAPPED OR BOKO HARAM NO KILL THEM.
Posted: at 16-02-2016 06:06 AM (8 years ago) | Upcoming