A Nigerian man who says he is one of 10 identical brothers has pleaded not guilty to obstructing his deportation in the first prosecution of its kind in the State.
Sam Okwuoha (28) was charged following an investigation by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB).
Okwuoha says he is a “decuplet” and that his arrest is a case of mistaken identity, which led to him being charged under section 8 (1) (a), (2) and 9 of the Immigration Act 1999. He has been in custody on remand since March 10th, following the alleged offence four days earlier.
He is accused of obstructing or hindering his deportation at Dublin Airport despite a signed order.
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The man, who had previously lived in Dublin, replied, “I am not the person” when charged and bail was denied.
He appeared again before Judge Alan Mitchell at Cloverhill District Court on Friday via video-link, confirming he was contesting the case.
The judge recorded the not guilty plea and adjourned Okwuoha’s case until Monday, for mention only, to schedule his hearing date.
He was remanded in custody.
The charge is a “summary only” offence, dealt with at the District Court level, and punishable by a maximum 12-month sentence and a fine of up to €2,500.
During his prior court appearance the accused repeated his claim: “I am not the person named on the charge.”
“It is the first time we have ever used it,” Det Gda Graham Dillon advised the court. It was alleged that officers attempted to remove the accused from the State, “and the removal had to be aborted due to his behaviour”.
The judge asked the detective if it was a new kind of charge or if it had been prosecuted before. The officer responded: “It has not been prosecuted before. I suppose the level of resistance is unusual.”
At the first appearance, on March 10th, the officer said he had a “lengthy list” of bail objections, adding that “we attempted to deport this man and he obstructed the deportation”.
A barrister who earlier represented the accused said Okwuoha maintained he was not the person named in the charge. Det Gda Dillon disagreed. “We are 100 per cent confident,” he said, adding that it had been confirmed by legitimate authorities.
His barrister had informed the court that his client said he was “one of decuplets”, 10 children from the same pregnancy.
Counsel had said Okwuoha says he had nine identical brothers and that he “swapped places with his brother and came to Ireland”.
The detective believed Okwuoha would not appear in court if granted bail, and that he had a bench warrant history for failing to attend proceedings in the State and for “giving different names, using different dates of birth and identities”.
