Stay on Nigerian mother's deportation order extended

A Nigerian mother who is seeking specialist care for her young son today had a stay on her deportation order extended. Olivia Agbonlahor, 36, fled from Italy to Ireland two years ago after claiming she had received threats from Nigerian Mafia figures.

At the High Court in Dublin Judge Finlay-Geoghan ruled that the stay on her deportation should continue. She ordered that Ms Agbonlahor’s legal team should apply for an interlocutory injunction to halt her deportation at a hearing on February 21 and that notice of the motion be given to the state.

Ms Agbonlahor, who is staying at the Clonakilty Lodge for asylum seekers in Cork has two four-year-old twins, Great and Melissa.

She has said that Great, who has Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD), is due to start at a special school next week and will be deprived of this care if he is deported back to Nigeria.

Justice Minister Michael McDowell refused her appeal against the deportation order for her and her children two weeks ago.

Ms Agbonlahor appeared in court dressed in black with a yellow headscarf and was supported by a number of friends. Her solicitor Kevin Brophy said afterwards that she was still at square one. “Olivia is going to continue to be worried and we can only hope it’ll go well the next day we come in,” he said.

Ms Agbonlahor has claimed that the threats from the Nigerian Mafia were issued after her husband, a freelance journalist, wrote about their activities.