Media Release
Immigration Department stresses that there were no irregularities regarding Nigerian Charter flights and their passengers
St. John’s 27 December…. The attention of the Immigration Department has been brought to a Press Release from the United Progressive party (UPP) concerning charter flights from Nigeria which have arrived in Antigua and Barbuda.
The UPP questions were posed more as statements than as inquiries. Nonetheless, the Immigration Department is pleased to set the record straight,
First, all of the passengers on the Charter Flights from Nigeria, who were granted entry to Antigua and Barbuda, satisfied all entry requirements, including declarations of their places of accommodation. They were, therefore, granted visas on arrival – a procedure for which the law provides, and that is applied in the cases of many visitors from other countries.
The Immigration Department, therefore, makes it clear that the requirement to declare their places of accommodation was not waived as claimed in the UPP press release.
The UPP claims that many of these visitors changed locations because of an inability to pay. The Immigration department is not aware that any of the visitors changed their declared places of accommodation. In any event, changing the place of accommodation is not a crime, nor does it mean that the visitor cannot be traced if the necessity arises. The Immigration department is now in possession of the biometric data of all of them. Therefore, this statement from the UPP is unnecessarily accusatory and alarmist.
The UPP press release also states that “government vehicles were seen to be transporting Nigerian travellers to various locations”. While it is not the business of the Immigration Department to track the means by which visitors are transported from the Airport, inquiries were made of Airport security and customs officials, and it turned out that a Nigerian, who has been working at the Agriculture Ministry, and who is assigned a government vehicle to carry out his duties, did meet friends from a plane last night. Again, there is nothing untoward in meeting and transporting friends. It was one vehicle and could only be interpreted as “government’s involvement” by those determined to convey such a false impression.
The UPP press release also asks why the Immigration Department has remained silent in the face of what it calls “obvious irregularities”. The Immigration department assures the public that there were no irregularities whatsoever; so much so that the Government collected $25,000 in visa fees from the passengers on last night’s Charter alone.
Further, many of these passengers are booked on onward flights to other destinations in the Caribbean, and full records have been maintained of their biometric details. Should any of them attempt to remain in Antigua and Barbuda illegally, they will be easily picked up and deported.
However, the Immigration Department is proud of its vigilance in screening every person who seeks to enter Antigua and Barbuda. We assure the public that our vigilance is maintained to protect our country as we are obliged to do. (ends)
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Antigua love African ancestor and wear African print and preserve we heritage dis an dat. When African start come Antigua dem nah lub dem taaaal lol
Are you really this simple-minded?
Wow.
UPP is a bunch of Frauds. They are irresponsible and spreading propaganda & lies to acquire political mileage. Jan 18, 2023 will be the last of them. Their funeral announcement is now being prepared.
Good to hear of the Department’s wonderful “vigilance.”
So, tell us: What happened with those seven Indians who slipped away before you could send them back when their destination country refused them entry, as well as the five Haitians who broke out of your Detention Centre and disappeared into thin air?
Biometric data is only done if they applied for E-Visa. If they were granted visa on arrival or a visa waiver no bio metric is needed. What bio metic data do you have? Apart from the scanning of their passports what bio metric was done.
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, chances are it is a damn duck. Spare us the bs ok.
There are The Giant African Snails that have been destroying our crops over the years, now its Human Africans. We can’t take it anymore Gaston. Send them back home.
Excuse me! Did you mean $25,000 as you wrote?
So, didn’t you hear Gaston, the three hundred million dollars man, said that he doesn’t talk thousands.
Gaston, how come you are not arranging flights to bring Antiguans and Barbudans home at this time to vote? Why is Africans you’re bringing? What is on the flight for you other than the black people? Why are you opening them to humiliation like that? Do you think all of this could happen in such a small place and people don’t realize what you are doing?
Do you have such a low opinion of our intelligence?
A lot of these Africans used stolen credit cards to try to make reservations and of course the cards were rejected. According to Olabanjo some even attempted to book Jumby Bay. Talk about champagne dreams and mauby pocket. Why are we harboring these crooks and making excuses? Nigerians are known for their scams. We should build in an extra layer of due diligence just for them.
This look like a joke African or no African where all these People going we here can’t get Work and you bringing them in by the 200 Hundreds this make no kind of Sense too me . Something is Off .My Friend couldn’t come because he needed all kind of Documents and Visa Before he could Land in Antigua for 5Days and they walking in like you having a Motor Cade or Jouvert Morning .What Immigration think we sooo Stupid they have too say Something thinking they fooling off the people .Noooo Country in the World doing this Rubbish..Tell me they have Antigua Passport too Muuuuder Antigua Done “.. ANTIGUANS you all Better Wake Too HEEEELL UUUUP ” And Smell The DAMN COFFEE ” TAKE OUT THE Politics OUT OFF IT.” ITS OUR BIRTH RIGHT “” SOON WE GO. HAVE TOO RUUUN GO FIND SHELTER
SOMEWHERE
Are Nigerians being used as Mules to commit voter FRAUD?
Why was the Nigerian ministry of agriculture employee allowed to use a government vehicle to transport his Friends; is that part of his duties?
What will UPP and DNA do to ensure that the next election is carried out FAIRLY?
Because: The Fix Is In !
When you go to the USA and fill out the immigration form where you are staying, no customs officer comes to check to ensure you are staying there. You can stay with friends or family. You do have that travelers from some countries are scrutinized more than others. As they are considered a flight risk and want to stay in the USA illegally. Which by the way is how many of our Antiguan Citizens have entered the USA or Canada for that matter. I wonder if it is Antiguans want us to treat Nigerians the same way with increased scrutiny. As if we do not appreciate their coming to our country to visit or business.
What buisness? They can’t even afford to pay for where they were supposed to be staying; and they got a steal of a deal to boot. You will justify any and everything done by this administration no matter how wrong or illegal it is. Get some integrity and stop trying to act like y’all care about Africans. You would sooner go to the US and Canada before you set foot in Africa. I’ll bet your leader never visited Africa aside from some administrative duty. Gtfoh with your gaslighting — This is not about Africans, it is about what is lawful and unlawful.
@We Peep the Game
Some ah dem can’t even afford taxi. They have done little to no research about the destination. Bad news for our country. New breeding ground for scammers.
The immigration department was probably ordered to put something out in an attempt to silence the public alarm, but it will not work. No matter how they spin this, it stinks to high heaven. Only idiots are supporting this violation of immigration laws. If this continues, Antiguans will have worldwide security issues when attempting to enter countries. Nowhere else in the whole world is such a thing possible.
What is disturbing are the immigration officers who are processing these Africans knowing fully well that they are violating procedures. Stand up for something people because you will have to answer for your actions.
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