August 20, 2016
Jesusegun Alagbe
Swiss authorities have explained why
they denied Spain-based Prince Ugochukwu, 35-year-old Ebonyi State
indigene, entrance to the country in September 2015 and deported him to
Nigeria two months later.
The Swiss Embassy in Abuja said they did
so because of an interdiction issued to him to not visit the country
until December 9, 2017.
However, before his deportation,
Ugochukwu said he spent over two months languishing in detention and
subjected to various inhumane treatments by the Swiss officials.
In a reaction to Ugochukwu’s story,
Jolanda Herren, the Migration Adviser, Federal Department of Foreign
Affairs, Embassy of Switzerland in Abuja, told our correspondent in an
email that after investigations were carried out, it was discovered that
Ugochukwu’s allegations did not correspond to the facts obtained about
his case.
She said it was found out that
Ugochukwu’s residence permit in Spain was cancelled by Spanish
authorities on October 28, 2013. Therefore, it was not possible for him
to return to Spain.
She said, “Most allegations produced by
Mr. Prince Ugochukwu do not correspond to the facts and we, therefore,
have to contradict some main points.
“Mr. Prince Ugochukwu was denied
entrance in Switzerland based on an interdiction to enter Switzerland
and to stay in the Schengen area issued on December 10, 2014 notified to
him on December 12, 2014 and valid until December 9, 2017.”
Herren added that when Ugochukwu was
asked whether he would want the Nigerian Consulate in Switzerland or his
family to be informed of his arrest, he declined.
“As any detainee, Mr. Prince Ugochukwu
was asked during the interview by the police whether he wanted his
family, his consulate or his employer to be informed about his arrest,
all of which he refused. He was further asked whether he wanted or
needed to see a doctor, he also refused. Nevertheless, he would have
been allowed to see medical staff or contact his consulate at any time
during his detention,” she said.
0 comments:
Post a Comment