McDowell accused of revenge in student's deportation

Justice Minister Michael McDowell is deporting the Nigerian student Olunkunle Eluhanla in revenge for the political embarrassment he caused him, it was claimed today.

The student was originally deported to Nigeria on a chartered flight last March but Mr McDowell was forced to allow him to return so that he could sit his Leaving Certificate exams, after a huge protest campaign by the student’s classmates.

The Residents Against Racism group said that the new move to deport Mr Eluhanla, who is known as Kunle, was due to the political embarrassment he had caused Mr McDowell.

“They say that revenge is a dish best served cold and certainly Michael McDowell did not want to bring Kunle back. But any deportation will be met with the same protests as the last time,” said spokesman Mark Grehan.

Mr Eluhanla, who is in his early 20s, was allowed to return to Ireland on a six-month student visa.

The Department of Justice sent a letter to him yesterday, which stated it was Mr McDowell’s view that allowing him to stay would be contrary to the common good.

It outlined several reasons for the decision, including the fact that his application for asylum had been turned down, and the fact that he had recently pleaded guilty in court to charges of driving without insurance or tax since he returned to Ireland.

He also has one previous conviction for a road traffic offence.

Mr Eluhanla can leave the country voluntarily within 15 days, wait until a deportation order is issued or make further representations to Mr McDowell.

He arrived in Ireland as an unaccompanied minor and has said that he has no family or relatives in Nigeria.

The campaign to allow him to return to Ireland attracted support from his classmates in Palmerstown Community College in Dublin and the Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin.

He was carried shoulder high by classmates when he returned to Dublin Airport last April and professed his desire to stay in Ireland forever.

Residents Against Racism said it would be organising a series of protests against the deportation of Mr Eluhanla.

“He is deeply integrated into the community, as the protests have shown, and we believe that by trying to deport him, Michael McDowell is showing that he doesn’t care about any integration in this country,” said Mark Grehan.

He said that there was no justification for deporting someone for road traffic offences.

“There’s been plenty of people convicted for road traffic offences. It was very foolish of Kunle to have done it and we don’t condone what he did, but it’s up to the courts in Ireland to decide what the punishment is, not Michael McDowell.”