A petition imploring the Minister of the Interior to bring Nigerian asylum seeker Eze Okafor back to Iceland is steadily gathering signatures.
At the time of this writing, the petition has just over 1,200 signatures. As Minister of the Interior Ólöf Nordal is the highest authorities in immigration matters, the petition calls upon her to use her executive power to bring Eze back to Iceland.
As reported, Eze is currently in Sweden, and is slated to be deported to Nigeria this Wednesday – where he expects almost certain persecution from Boko Haram, who murdered his brother and injured him badly – unless his status somehow changes.
Despite an opinion from the Immigration Appeals Board on May 15 that he cannot be deported on the grounds of the Dublin Regulation, he was arrested last Wednesday, put on a plane, and deported last week to Sweden.
Two Icelanders attempted to stop his deportation, and were arrested for doing so.
“For me, it’s about human life,” Eze told The Grapevine by phone last week. “I’m running away from real danger. I’ve lived in Iceland for four years. It’s my home. Everything about my life is in Iceland. I’ve never had a problem with anyone there. All my friends and family are there. I don’t know anybody here.”
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