Eze Okafor, lived in Iceland for four years before being deported [Marie-Helene Carleton/Al Jazeera]
32-year-old Eze Okafor, who had been living in Iceland for the last four years, working as a cook in a local restaurant, learning the Icelandic language and building a community, fled Nigera after being targeted by Boko Haram in 2010, as he and his younger brother, Okwy, were attacked in retaliation for not joining the armed group.
Members of Boko Haram stormed their house in Maiduguri, Borno State. Eze was stabbed in the head and face and Okwy was killed. Soon after, Eze fled Nigeria and made a long and dangerous boat journey to Europe, where in 2011 he sought asylum in Sweden. He told his story and showed his still fresh and infected wounds, including the gash over his eye, which he feared would cost him his eyesight. He was denied asylum and made his way to Iceland.
He applied for asylum in Iceland in 2012 but was denied. He has been working with a lawyer, Katrin Theodorsdottir, who then applied for permission for Eze to stay in Iceland on humanitarian grounds, as his case has slowly made its way through the system. Eze said that in October he was given temporary residency and could work.
His case in Iceland has hinged on what time limit is relevant to his asylum request, as defined by Article 19 of the Dublin Regulation, which determines which European Union member state is responsible for asylum seekers.
Article 19 lays out a timeframe of six months within which an asylum seeker must be sent back to the country where they were originally asking for asylum, otherwise the current country is responsible for processing their asylum case.
After many rejections, appeals and back and forths between various immigration authorities, Theodorsdottir said there was a "twist". A special immigration committee reviewing Eze's case, said the time limit to send Eze back to Sweden might have expired, and advised him to go to the immigration office and have his application for asylum processed.
Eze went to the immigration office as instructed to pick up the paperwork, and was told to wait 45 minutes, which he did. According to Al Jazeerah, unknown to him, the police officer was calling the immigration office. And then another twist.
"The police said I should come to sign and all of a sudden they took me into custody. They arrested me. I spent the night in jail," Eze recalled.
"They next morning they said they were deporting me. I said I should go and get my stuff from my house. They said no. They took me to the airport and manhandled me.
"In Iceland, I have been integrated into society, with so many friends. A lot of people know me. So when the police was beating me, when I was arrested, there was a lot of reaction."
Early on May 26, Eze was handcuffed on to a plane for deportation. Two members of the rights group 'No Borders Iceland' boarded the plane and stood up in protest, asking other passengers to stand up as well to protest at Eze's deportation. After about 10 minutes, they were arrested by Icelandic police.
Eze was taken to Stockholm. At the airport, he thought the Icelandic authorities would give him back the only ID he had - his Nigerian driver's licence. They took it back to Iceland. He was handed papers by the Swedish immigration authorities, which gave him until June 1 to leave Sweden or be deported back to Nigeria.
He was also given a piece of paper saying that he had no right to financial assistance. Without money or any identification, he was turned out on to the street where he spent the first night.
"What I am facing in Nigeria is that this Islamic group is after my life. My life is in danger." He said he believes that when he lands at the airport in Nigeria he fears he will be apprehended by the police. "Boko Haram has a network. They have been looking for me since then."
Today, Eze is uncertain about his future. He does know one thing for sure. If he were to return to Nigeria, he believes it would mean death for him. With his friends, he is working hard to find a lawyer who can take his case in Sweden. His dream is to return to his home in Iceland.
Al Jazeerah said there is something the immigration office could do. She has requested that he be granted permission to live in Iceland on humanitarian grounds, a request that is still pending.
"Maybe one day, when I am back in Iceland, I could open a restaurant. When I was in handcuffs on my way to Sweden, I was pleading with them. I am not a criminal. I did not commit any crime. I am asking for refuge. They should treat me like a human," he said
Source: Al Jazareerah
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