A Donegal woman who married a Nigerian asylum-seeker last year has appealed to the Government to allow him to stay in Ireland on compassionate grounds, writes Alison Healy
Ms Katie Onasanwo (19), from Falcarragh, married her husband Adewole (also 19) in Letterkenny last April. The couple had a still-born baby in December.
A deportation order was issued against him in January. The State believes the couple were not married long enough to justify allowing him to stay in Ireland.
On Monday he was detained in Cloverhill Prison for deportation, after he failed to sign on weekly in Dublin as requested by the Department of Justice. He could be sent to Nigeria at any time, either alone or as part of a mass deportation, similar to the recent deportation of 65 failed asylum-seekers to Romania and Moldova.
The Department of Justice could not give any information on the deportation, and does not comment on individual cases.
Mr Onasanwo has schizophrenia and his wife is concerned about his medical treatment should he return to Nigeria.
The couple met when Mr Onasanwo and his family were placed in Falcarragh when they sought asylum in 1999.
A deportation order was issued against the family in 2001 but they sought a judicial review. One older brother was deported after he left the family and took a separate case.
The judicial review heard that Mr Onasanwo's mother, Elizabeth, had a psychiatric illness and was receiving treatment. She also expressed concern for the fate of Adewole's twin, Christina, who would be at risk of female circumcision if she was sent to Nigeria.
The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, gave Mrs Onasanwo, her daughters Christina (19)and Bolu (8) and her son Busola (17) temporary leave to remain until next November but the case for Adewole's deportation remained.
"Katie is distraught," Ms Rosanna Flynn of Residents Against Racism said. "The State is saying that this is not a proper marriage but I am absolutely convinced that it is. She is adamant that she cannot live without him."
Ms Flynn said the couple had tried to get married when they were 16 but their families were opposed because of their age.
Ms Onasanwo has visited her husband in Cloverhill Prison every day this week. "He's not too good," she said. "He's getting anti-depressants for his sickness. He's feeling very depressed."
She travelled to Donegal yesterday to get as many documents as possible to prove that their marriage was genuine and that they were together since 1999.
Ms Onasanwo said she did not want to think about what would happen if the deportation went ahead. "I am not looking at the negative side at all. He cannot be deported."
However, she said she would follow him to Nigeria if it did happen. "But I am hoping that it will not come to that. We will never break up, never."