A Nigerian-born councillor living abroad, Yemi Adenuga, has narrated a disturbing encounter in which she was allegedly verbally abused and spat on by a man in Navan, Ireland.
Adenuga, who shared her experience in a video sighted by Diaspora NG, said the incident occurred on Friday evening as she was returning to her car in the town centre after attending meetings in Slane and Navan.
She explained that the man initially stopped her as though to speak but suddenly launched into a tirade, accusing her of trying to “teach Irish people how to live” following a radio interview she had granted.
According to her, the man told her she was not welcome in Ireland, said he did not recognise her as his councillor and repeatedly asked her to leave the country, using abusive language.
Adenuga said the encounter escalated when the man spat on her before walking away, an act she described as deeply shocking and humiliating.
She added that two passersby intervened, checked on her wellbeing and confronted the man as he left the scene, noting that she was too shaken to collect their details at the time.
Reflecting on the incident, Adenuga said she had experienced various forms of discrimination in the past but found the attack particularly worrying because it happened in a town she has served as an elected public representative for about seven years.
She warned that the incident highlighted growing concerns about hostility towards migrants, stressing that if such an attack could happen to a known public official, ordinary residents could be even more vulnerable.
