As World Refugee Day is Remembered, Iceland Deported a Boko-Haram Target, Eze to Sweden where He Awaits News of His Further Journey
Eze Holding the Paper given to him by the Icelandic immigration Authorities
Eze Okafor, 32, has lived in Iceland without worries since fleeing from home country Nigeria from the terrorist group known as "Boko-Haram' when they tried to recruit him to be a member of the group.
According to a report from his teacher who was always checking upon him every morning and giving him support, on that same morning he received a message on his phone and began to shared tears as he glanced through the message and her friends were with him the period he was glancing through the message as the message read, they will fight for him.
Eze, since making his way to the cold region of Iceland, he has since worked as cook in a local restaurant and at the same time learning Icelandic language and building a community.
Eze in his words said, "Iceland is my home now. I have contributed to the society here. Many people know me. My friends have become my family."
When Eze was in Nigeria, in Maiduguri, Borno state, northern east to be precise where the armed group terrorized Him and his family, Eze had a brother who was murdered by the terrorist group and tortured the mother but he was able to escaped from the them (Boko-Haram) after he got stabbed in the head and face.
Since the period Eze was in Iceland, he has been working with a lawyer, Katrin Theodorsdottir who was able to fight and secured Eze's staying in Iceland under Humanitarian grounds and that led to his temporary residential permit since October.
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 EU 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 Theodorsdottir, unbeknownst 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 put handcuffed onto 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 Eze's deportation. After about 10 minutes, they were arrested by Iceland's police.
He 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 license. 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 he had no right to financial assistance. Without money or any identification, he was turned out onto the street where he spent the first night.
Boko Haram is an ongoing threat in Nigeria with members and supporters, Eze said, at all levels of government and the police. Several years ago, members of Boko Haram kidnapped his mother in what Eze said was a bid to force him to return to Nigeria. After brutalising her - including an attack to her face that compromised her eyesight - the kidnappers demanded a ransom.
"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. His 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 could take his case in Sweden. His dream is to return to his home in Iceland.
Theodorsdottir 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.
Eze said his mother, Celina, taught him how to cook at an early age and it is his passion. He loved working in the restaurant in Iceland and had a good relationship with his boss. He loves to cook Nigerian food. Maybe, he said, once he is back in Iceland, and his life has found balance again, he could pursue a dream. There is no Nigerian restaurant in Iceland.
"Maybe one day, when I am back in Iceland, I could open a restaurant", Eze said, smiling.
"When I was in handcuffs on my way to Sweden, I was pleading with them," Eze said. "I am not a criminal. I did not commit any crime. I am asking for refuge. They should treat me like a human."
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