SLIGO:TWO YOUNG girls who face possible deportation today were cheered through the streets of their adopted Irish town yesterday.
Nigerian Pamela Izevbekhai fought back tears as she watched from among the crowd while her daughters Naomi (7) and Jemima (5) proudly took part in the Sligo town St Patrick's Day parade.
At one stage Jemima was carried shoulder-high by family friend Shane Donnelly, a leading member of the Let Them Stay organisation, which has been campaigning against their deportation.
The family has been ordered to report by this afternoon to the Balseskin refugee centre at Ballymun, near Dublin airport. Documents instructing them to be there said it was in order "to assist" with their deportation.
They could be on an aircraft out of the country soon afterwards unless they are granted a stay while Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan considers their application for "subsidiary protection".
A lengthy battle by Ms Izevbekhai to prevent the deportation of herself and her daughters on grounds of fear of female genital mutilation in Nigeria ended in failure at the High Court last week. The decision means Ms Izevbekhai, who was arrested in Sligo more than two years ago after she came out of hiding to see her daughters, faces imminent deportation.
Ms Izevbekhai told the court that she has already lost a baby daughter as a result of the "torture" of female genital mutilation in Nigeria.
She said she fears for the lives of her other two daughters if the family is deported.
The Irish Refugee Council yesterday called on Mr Lenihan to immediately halt deportation proceedings against Ms Izevbekhai and her daughters.
PADDY CLANCY