Deported Nigerians Sue U.S., Allege Abuse on Flight to Ghana

Three Nigerians who were recently deported from the United States and left in Ghana have filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., challenging the manner of their removal. The individuals, whose names have not been disclosed, joined two Gambians in the case, alleging inhumane treatment during a 16-hour extradition flight.

According to the suit, filed at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Friday by the advocacy group Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), the deportees were shackled for the duration of the journey and given only bread and water. They claim they were abruptly taken from a detention center in Alexandria, Louisiana, in the middle of the night on September 5 and placed on a U.S. military cargo plane without being told their destination until hours into the flight.

The plaintiffs, identified only by their initials D.A., T.L., I.O., D.S., and K.S., argue that their deportation violated legal protections. Their lawyers say U.S. immigration judges had previously granted them fear-based protections under the Immigration and Nationality Act and the Convention Against Torture, preventing their return to their home countries. The lawsuit names the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, the Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Attorney General, and the Secretary of State as defendants.

The filing accuses U.S. authorities of bypassing the law by using Ghana as an intermediary, claiming the country had agreed to temporarily host the deportees before facilitating their return to their countries of origin. Attorneys described the move as an “end-run” around established immigration protections and urged U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to order the return of the plaintiffs to the United States.

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama recently confirmed that his government reached an agreement with Washington to accept 14 deportees, some of whom would later be transferred to their home countries. The lawsuit comes amid President Donald Trump’s broader crackdown on immigrants, a policy that has targeted individuals he labels as criminals or visa overstayers.