A Nigerian woman, Teni, has taken to her Twitter handle to allege discrimination against her and other African nationals at the airport in Praia, Cape Verde Capital.
Teni T. @aloinett said she had set off from Dakar, Senegal to Praia and on arriving at the city, was set aside alongside other passengers who had come on a visit.
According to her, the group included an Italian couple, a Sudanese-American, a Spanish couple, a Kenyan, an Ivorian, a Jordanian, a Guinean and four Nigerians.
She alleged that the whites and every other person with a Western passport were allowed to go through.
The lady said the rest of the group had their passport seized without an explanation.
Her tweet read, “So I got deported today. Mostly because I am black but also because I am Nigerian.
“I got on a flight to Praia, #CapeVerde from Dakar, Senegal but have now been sent back to Dakar.
“Everything was fine until we got to the airport in Praia. Then some of us were pulled aside because we were there to visit. This group included an Italian couple, my Sudanese-American friend, a Spanish couple, a Kenyan, an Ivorian, a Jordanian, a Guinean and four Nigerians.
Everything was fine until we got to the airport in Praia. Then some of us were pulled aside because we were there to visit. This group included an Italian couple, my Sudanese-American friend, a Spanish couple, a Kenyan, an Ivorian, a Jordanian, a Guinean and four Nigerians.
— Teni T. ð· (@aloinett) April 2, 2021
“All of the white people were allowed to go through as well as my black friend with an American passport. Then some woman came and snatched the passports from the rest of us without any explanation. Another guy came and told us that they were sending us back.
“Why? That we were not allowed to visit because of COVID. Then we asked why the white people and my American friend were let through. They said they decided who could stay and who could go. So, everyone with a Western passport went through. In West Africa. In #CapeVerde.
“I guess the first sign that something was off was when my AirBnB host asked my nationality then told me to come with some evidence of funds if I was travelling with a Nigerian passport. The funny thing is the only thing they looked at was our passports, didn’t ask for anything else.
“The only non-black person that was deported with us, a Jordanian, thinks he was lumped with us because he has Nigerian visas in his passport. Before we left this morning, my American friend was joking about her passport privilege. Who knew we were about to learn how true it was?
“Anyway, we’re still at the airport waiting for our passports like criminals. Glad for the experience because pushing for ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) is one thing, and seeing the reality of integration is another. I just wanted to check Cape Verde off my West Africa list and happy to stay in Dakar.”
I’ve been having a lot of conversations with friends that have been unsuccessfully trying to convince me to “get a second passport”. So this was a stark reminder about the reality of being a Nigerian in the world and in Africa. Good bye #CapeVerde. Shame on you. pic.twitter.com/4U9lIdsvPM
— Teni T. ð· (@aloinett) April 2, 2021
