Stay Of Execution For Nigerian Deportee

There was real life drama today as the challenge by Nigerian woman Pamela Izevbekhai against the Justice Minister's refusal to grant her and her daughters subsidiary protection so they're not deported, has been adjourned until the 20th of January.

Earlier this month it emerged that a pair of Irish students who filmed Ms Izevbekhai for their documentary 'FGM - No Way Home' had won a major award at the recent Irish Media and Multicultural Awards ceremony.

Richard Walsh, from Ballybunion, Co Kerry, and Julian Ulrichs, from Galway city travelled to Nigeria to film footage on the cultural and legal aspects surrounding the issue of female genital mutilation (FMG).

The real drama today though centred on the judge who was listed to hear the case and stood down because he handed down a judgment in relation to another aspect of their case just last month.

Pamela Izevbekhai - who has been living in Sligo for the past four years - has always argued that if forced to return to Nigeria her daughters, aged 7 and 5, run the risk of being subjected to the practice of female genital mutilation.

Last month she lost her bid to have the deportation orders against her and her daughter's frozen pending the outcome of her challenge against the refusal to grant them subsidiary protection.

In that ruling Mr Justice Hedigan said her fears in relation to such practices were not well founded and there was no fair question to be tried.

Today the same judge was listed to hear the full judicial review challenge but he acceded to a request from her lawyers to stand aside saying there could be a public perception that the grounds on which Pamela was bringing this case had already been adjudicated upon by him.

See: Deportation Movie Wins Award

(BMcC/KMcA)