A Nigerian man, Sam Okwuoha, based in Dublin and accused of obstructing his own deportation, has appeared before a court in Ireland, insisting authorities have mistaken him for one of his nine identical brothers.
Mr Okwuoha was brought before Dublin District Court on Friday, after his previous appearance on Tuesday, following an investigation by the Garda National Immigration Bureau.
Prosecutors alleged he obstructed a deportation attempt carried out by a police detective, Graham Dillon, at Dublin Airport on March 6.
The charge was filed under the Immigration Act 1999, which requires individuals to cooperate with deportation and to avoid behaviour likely to endanger their own or others’ safety during removal.
According to the Irish Times, the defence told the court that Mr Okwuoha claimed to be one of a set of decuplets. Mr Okwuoha said he swapped places with one of his brothers before travelling to Ireland.
When the allegation was read in court, Mr Okwuoha, appearing via video link from custody, denied the claim, telling the court, “I am not the person.”
Bail was refused when he first appeared earlier in the week, and the case later came up again before Judge Alan Mitchell at Cloverhill District Court.
The judge noted that the offence will be dealt with at the district court level and, if convicted, the maximum penalty will be 12 months’ imprisonment and a fine of up to €2,500.
The defence requested an adjournment to allow time for gardaí to provide evidence related to the case.
The judge granted the request and ordered that Mr Okwuoha remain in custody until his next court appearance in two weeks, when he is expected to request an appeal.
Mr Dillon told the court that officers had attempted to deport the accused from Ireland but were unable to complete the process because of his behaviour during the operation.
The judge reminded the court that Mr Okwuoha is innocent until proven guilty and directed investigators to share evidence with his defence team within a week.
During the earlier bail hearing on Tuesday, Mr Dillon told the court that immigration officers had tried to deport the accused, but he “obstructed the deportation”.
He mentioned that this charge had not been prosecuted before and that Mr Okwuoha’s “level of resistance is unusual,” making him the first person to be prosecuted for obstructing deportation in the State.
Mr Okwuoha’s lawyer said his client was not the individual named in the charge. However, Mr Dillon maintained that authorities were “100 per cent confident”, saying that it had been verified through legitimate authorities.
Mr Dillon told the court that Mr Okwuoha had a history of failing to attend court hearings and had previously used different names, dates of birth and identities.
