Gambian deportee from Turkey allegedly forced to buy air ticket

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By ALIEU JALLOW

Abdoulie Jallow, a young Gambian who has been deported from Turkey on October alleged that he was forced to buy their own air ticket to be returned back home.

He told The Monitor that his family back home had to buy him an air ticket worth $900 to facilitate his return.

The Gambia and Turkey have along bilateral relationship and Turkey continued to render valuable support to the government of The Gambia’s development initiatives, which among others include the provision of scholarship packages, and annual offer for training courses to develop the human resource base of the civil service.

The security agencies also benefit from this support and there is free annual medical treatment for 25 Gambian patients whose conditions need overseas treatment.

This relationship has equally paved ways for Gambians to travel to Turkey for business.

Contrary to this, Abdoulie Jallow, had to face difficult deportation to The Gambia from Turkey.

According to Jallow who was engaged in business back home prior to his departure to Turkey, he travelled because his earning could not sustain his living and was compelled to search for opportunities outside.

The young man who left the Gambian since January 2019 said he he was deported back home alongside other foreign nationals who were also taken back to their countries in similar circumstances.

“I was captured while going to work following a short interrogation then I was taken to a detention center in Tulsa which is about two hours’ drive from Istanbul. I was later transported to another city called Tokat which is fifteen hours’ drive away from Istanbul with my hands cuffed,” he narrated.

He recounted that upon arrival at, his passport was seized and a file was prepared for me him finally.

Jallow said he was moved to another center where the authorities told him that he and the other deportees will be transferred to hotel with food to eat before released to go back to Istanbul”.

Abdoulie said the so-called hotel in that city was a detention center in a very poor condition with some people contacting diseases.

“I have witnessed people being beaten severely. There was a misunderstanding between some Pakistanis and a friend of mine from Uganda who was beaten until his arm was dislocated,” he explained.

He said he was called and informed of the plan to deport him back to The Gambia.

He said to his dismay, he was also asked to buy his own air ticket which is not acceptably by law.

He alleged that when deportees bought their ticket, pictures of the ticket were taken and sent to the EU Immigration unit for them (Turkish) to be refunded for the tickets they (deportees) bought.

He appealed to the government to help him to get a start-up capital to be engaged in his business as before.