Minister has rejected woman's deportation appeal, say campaigners

Campaigners fighting the deportation of a Nigerian mother of two said this afternoon that they believed the Minister for Justice had already rejected her appeal for protection.

Pamela Izevbekhai and her young daughters Naomi and Jemima will be sent back to Africa unless there is a last minute intervention from the Government.

The family arrived at the Beleskin deportation centre in north Dublin today.

Ms Izevbekhai says her daughters, who are aged five and seven, will almost certainly face genital mutilation in Nigeria.

Minister for the Environment John Gormley, whose Green Party colleague Ciaran Cuffe has called for a review of the deportation order, said this afternoon he was certain Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan would act in the best interests of the family.

"I'm quite sure that the Minister for Justice will listen to all of the sides on this issue and act in the best interests of the individual in question and ensure that human rights are respected and that the law is adhered to," said Mr Gormley.