Dr Grant Oyeye smiled broadly, made a victory sign and declared himself happy to be a free man.
The Nigerian doctor detained nine days ago on his arrival in Dublin for a course at the Royal College of Surgeons, said his experience in Mountjoy Prison had been terrible.
"I only came here to study, not to be locked up in a prison," he said. "It has been terrible for me living in a prison. I've never been to a police station in my country, never mind a prison, and the condition in the prison is something that I would never wish my enemy to experience."
Dr Oyeye's release yesterday followed a settlement in which he agreed to drop his High Court challenge against the legality of his detention in return for being given "leave to land" in the State. The agreement followed a 40-minute adjournment. Speaking outside the court, Dr Oyeye praised staff at the training unit where he was held for three nights after spending six nights in the basement of Mountjoy Prison.
He had expressed concerns to his solicitor, Mr Derek Stewart, about his exposure in the basement to prisoners who have hepatitis C or are HIV positive.
Dr Oyeye said another prisoner in the training unit had offered him his tape recorder so he could listen to music.
"I wouldn't want to say any bad thing about the people of Ireland generally due to what has happened to me," he said.
Dr Oyeye was joined yesterday by his cousin, Mr David Ovien, who flew over from Liverpool to offer his support. Mr Ovien stood with his arm around Dr Oyeye's shoulder, calling him "my brother". He said: "He's been in prison. What for? He's not criminal."
A Nigerian doctor working in Dublin who had studied with Dr Oyeye in Nigeria was also in court for the second day. Dr Ola, who works in St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin, said he had been shocked when he saw media reports of the case.
Dr Oyeye will begin the six week diploma course in tropical medicine on July 2nd.