By Ayo Ayodele
The Nigerian Senate has urged the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Ojukwu, to step up diplomatic efforts with the Kenyan government over the alleged deportation of a Nigerian businessman, Igwe Nwaokpara, who claims to have over $2.6 million in investments in Kenya.
This resolution followed a hearing by the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, chaired by Senator Neda Imasuen (APC, Edo South), during which Nwaokpara presented a petition outlining a series of rights violations by both Kenyan and Nigerian authorities.
According to Nwaokpara, he was deported from Kenya twice, allegedly at the behest of Nigerian officials, and was later detained in Nigeria for two weeks. Despite no charges being brought against him, his passport was seized by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS).
“In 2014, I lawfully moved to Kenya, secured an alien card, and built a thriving agribusiness including a four-hectare farm and agro-supermarket,” he testified. “But in 2027, after returning to Nigeria briefly, I was blocked from re-entering Kenya and told there was a Nigerian directive against me. I was detained for three days in Kenya and then returned to Nigeria.”
Following his ordeal, Nwaokpara obtained a court judgment ordering the NIS to return his passport and pay ₦6 million in damages for unlawful detention. However, the order remains unfulfilled.
The Senate has now summoned the Comptroller General of Immigration to explain the Service’s role in the businessman’s deportation and why it failed to comply with the court’s judgment.
Senator Imasuen and other committee members described the situation as a grave violation of a Nigerian citizen’s rights and an embarrassment to the nation.
Responding to the committee, Minister Bianca Ojukwu acknowledged the seriousness of the case. She revealed that the Nigerian Mission in Kenya had been instructed to provide a report but had yet to respond. “The plight of Mr. Nwaokpara is indeed unfortunate. We are committed to resolving the issue diplomatically,” she said.
The Senate Committee stressed that all involved agencies must be held accountable and pledged to pursue a swift resolution to what it called “an abuse of power and violation of fundamental rights.”