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Alleged Racial Profiling: Five Nigerians Recount Brutal Ordeal In Cape Verde Demands Justice

ByHafsoh Isiaq

PublishedApril 23, 2025

Five Nigerian travellers have come forward with harrowing accounts of abuse, humiliation, and systemic mistreatment at the hands of Cape Verdean immigration authorities, in what they describe as a case of racial profiling and unlawful detainment.

The group, Lily Dada, Oghenero Adaware, Sherifat Abimbola Ogundairo, Jesutomi Aina, and David Udoh arrived in Sal, Cape Verde on April 13, 2025, as part of “The Wander Series,” a curated travel experience organized by irin Travels and The Faraway.

With valid visas, return tickets, confirmed accommodation, and adequate funds, they expected a warm welcome to a fellow West African country.

Instead, they say, they were targeted the moment officials realized they were Nigerian.

“Our passports were taken before we even reached immigration,” said Dada, a renowned advocate for African narratives. “No questions, no explanations, just immediate segregation. When we asked why, the response was violence.”

According to multiple witness accounts and documents compiled in a formal report, the group was forcibly detained without due process. Their personal belongings, including phones, were confiscated, and videos recorded during the incident were deleted.

Despite engaging a local lawyer, the group was denied access to legal counsel and subjected to degrading treatment.

“I was slammed to the ground by four male officers,” said Sherifat Ogundairo, who sustained injuries and required hospitalisation.

“They tore my clothes, broke my glasses, and dragged me away in handcuffs simply because I asked to know what we had done wrong.”

The group described a litany of abuses, including being locked in a room with restricted toilet access, forced to sign untranslated Portuguese documents, and denied basic medical care.

In the most disturbing allegation, the group claims a Cape Verdean officer, identified as Erica Ferreira, tried to coerce an unrelated Nigerian woman into accusing Dada of sex trafficking, an attempt, they believe, to justify the unlawful treatment they had already endured.

“This wasn’t an immigration misunderstanding,” said Adaware.

“This was racial profiling, plain and simple. We were criminalized not because of our actions, but because of our nationality.”

OSUN DEFENDER reports that Cape Verde is a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which allows free movement between member states.

The travelers say the country’s actions not only violate international human rights but directly contradict ECOWAS protocols.

“If we had truly lacked the required documentation, why didn’t they even check it?” asked Jesutomi Aina. “Why delete our videos? Why refuse us a lawyer? Why subject us to such degrading treatment?”

Now back in Nigeria, the group is demanding justice and specific action:

•A public apology from the Cape Verdean government for their inhumane treatment;

•A formal retraction of the false claims that they were denied entry due to improper documentation;

•A thorough investigation into the actions of the immigration officers involved, especially Officer Erica Ferreira;

•Compensation for the financial, physical, and emotional damages they suffered;

•Reforms in immigration protocols to prevent similar incidents from happening to other travelers, especially Africans within ECOWAS.

A growing number of Africans have rallied behind them, including Cape Verdean citizens who have launched a petition demanding justice.

The travelers emphasize they are not criminals but respected professionals, creatives, engineers, and community leaders who were exploring Africa to celebrate its beauty and unity.

“This incident is not just about us,” said Ogundairo. “It’s about the rights of Africans to travel freely and with dignity within their own continent.”

“There must be accountability,” said Dada. “Because if we don’t speak out, this will keep happening, to more Nigerians, to more Africans.”

As at the time of filling this report, Cape Verdean immigration authorities have not reacted to the allegations.

Hafsoh Isiaq

Hafsoh Isiaq is a graduate of Linguistics. An avid writer committed to creative, high-quality research and news reportage. She has considerable experience in writing and reporting across a variety of platforms including print and online.