Hundreds of residents on Tuesday converged on Ireland’s Department of Justice in Dublin to urge authorities to cancel a deportation order issued against a Nigerian mother and her three children living in south Dublin.
The family, Titilayo Oluwakemi Oyekanmi and her sons, Samuel, Joseph and Genesis were served a deportation notice after their asylum claim was rejected and an appeal failed.
The Department of Justice issued the order in April 2025 and the family was expected to leave the country on Thursday.
Ms Oyekanmi, who travelled to Ireland from South Africa with her children in late 2023, told supporters she fled after being attacked and threatened at gunpoint, according to accounts from neighbours and campaigners.
Scores of well-wishers including schoolchildren, neighbours, friends and community groups joined the demonstration, handing letters to officials and appealing for clemency.
The demonstrators warned that removing the family would have a devastating effect on the community, and called on the minister for justice to reconsider the case.
One protester, Cara McGennis, described the Oyekanmi family as dedicated members of the neighbourhood and urged authorities to allow them to remain.
“They see this place as home. The children are loved at school and their mum volunteers here. They’ve put down roots,” she told PUNCH.
Another resident, Simon Matthews, said the family had integrated well and given back to the area.
“They’ve become part of the fabric of this community. People want them to stay,” he said.
The family’s solicitor, Stephen Kirwan, praised the turnout and characterized the demonstration as peaceful but powerful.
He renewed calls for a more compassionate and transparent asylum process, describing the current deportation procedures as lacking in humanity and urging a fair reassessment of the Oyekanmi case.
Responding to the protest, the Department of Justice said it had followed the legal processes for international protection and reiterated that all appeals in the family’s case had been exhausted.
The department said applicants are given the option of voluntary return before a deportation order is enforced and that it seeks to manage protection applications effectively while maintaining the integrity of the system.
“As part of our procedures, assistance to return voluntarily is offered before a deportation order is made,” the department said in a statement, adding that people may apply for protection if they fear persecution or cannot safely return to their home country.
Campaigners have vowed to maintain pressure on officials in the coming days as the family awaits a final determination on whether the deportation will proceed.
