This Nigerian man is suing Canada over mistaken identity for $10M

June 17, 2018 2:10 PM

Ogunye's lawyer has described his client's treatment as a “profoundly disturbing” case of mistaken identity.

A 47-year-old Nigerian-Canadian man,

According to The Guardian, Ogunye is suing the Canadian government to the tune of $10m in compensation, after he was held in detention for eight months.

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The reports revealed that Ogunye was approached by border agents and detained his home in Toronto in June 2016, even after he had produced citizenship papers and a government-issued health card.

According to the reports, the validity of Ogunye's documents was disputed by the agents, which led to his detention at a facility close to Toronto Pearson airport.

The agents took his fingerprints and alleged that his prints matched those of a fraudulent refugee claimant who was reportedly deported to Nigeria in the 1990s.

Ogunye's lawyer, Adam Hummel said, “It is shocking.

“Even people who are having their citizenship revoked … are not detained like this.”

According to Hummel, the results of the fingerprint analysis which was never shown to his client were reportedly contradicted by numerous sworn affidavits from friends and neighbours who have known Ogunye for years.

Hummel and his client have charged the government with breach of Ogunye’s constitutional rights; The case was filed in Ontario superior court on May 30, 2018.

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Ogunye who was reportedly immigrated to Canada from Nigeria with his family and became a Canadian citizen in 1996, was prevented from contacting his family members during the course of the detention. He was said to have been placed on suicide watch due to the trauma of his detention.

Speaking with CBC, Ogunye said, “One time, for the whole month, I was crying nonstop. I was crying continuously."

He was later released in February 2017.