The deported students who sued are Opoola Kayode, Ogundana Joshua, Oyeniran Eniola, Ajayi Morenikeji, Falope Opeyemi, Ayanwoye Samuel and Agunbiade Oluwamayowa. Others are Toki John, Obajide Joshua, Bude Adeitan, Adedoyin Damilola, Banjo Olufemi and Akinola Olamilekan.
In their statement of claim, the young scholars, who had just finished their secondary school education in Nigeria, said they decided to seek admission in the Republic of the Philippines because of the problems associated with gaining admission into Nigerian universities. They claimed that their quest to study abroad was tied to the sundry challenges, such as prevalent industrial actions and lack of educational facilities, bedeviling the Nigerian tertiary education system.
In order to activate their dream, they approached one education consulting firm, Achievers Global Consulting for Excellence Limited, to process their admission into foreign varsities.
The firm, which is the first claimant in the suit marked ID/ADR/229/2014, claimed that it successfully secured provisional admission for the students in two universities in the Republic of the Philippines, namely: University of Perpetual Help System Data and University of the Cordilleras.
The firm claimed that after obtaining letters of provisional admission from the schools, it applied for visa for the students at the Philippines High Commission in Nigeria and it was granted on merit.
It said that it then approached Qatar Airways Nigeria Limited for the contract of conveying the students from Nigeria to the Republic of the Philippines, adding that the students paid the prescribed fees of the airline and were issued with air tickets.
According to the firm, on November 3, 2014, the 13 students were presented with their documents for verification at the desk of Qatar Airways, at the Murtala International Airport. The firm claimed that the airline did not only certify the students as eligible to travel abroad but also passed them as fit and proper to travel aboard its aircraft from Nigeria to the Republic of the Philippines.
However, on arrival at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in the Republic of the Philippines on November 4, 2014, the students were apprehended as illegal immigrants. According to the firm, the reason adduced for their arrest was that they did not have return tickets to Nigeria. The students were subsequently detained by the Republic of the Philippines immigration authorities for eight days before their eventual deportation.
Qatar airline was also said to have been fined 50,000 Peso for wrongful boarding of the students. Both the students and the education consulting firm are blaming their ordeal on the alleged negligence of Qatar Airways.
They are therefore praying the court for an order directing the airline to pay them about N9m, being a refund of their air ticket fees; the sum they used in procuring visa, the cost of five return tickets purchased for five of the students before their eventual deportation and the cost of filing the suit.
Apart from this, the claimants are seeking cost of damages in the sum of N1.5bn to cover for their “economic misfortunes, destruction of educational pursuit, destruction of business reputation and illegal detention of the claimants occasioned by the negligent conduct of the defendant.” They also want a separate N500m as damages for breach of contract.
Source: Punch
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