A Nigerian man who claims gardaí confused him with one of his nine identical brothers has become the first person in the State to face prosecution for obstructing a deportation.
The alleged “decuplet”, Sam Okwuoha, 28, first appeared before Dublin District Court on Tuesday after an investigation carried out by the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB), reports Breaking News.
He argues that the matter is a case of mistaken identity, which has resulted in him being charged with a single offence under section 8 (1) (a), (2) and 9 of the Immigration Act 1999.
Court documents state that he is accused of, on March 6 at Dublin Airport, “being a person in respect of whom a deportation order was signed on 06.01.2026 under section 3 of the Immigration Act 1999 by the Minister of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, did obstruct or hinder a person authorised by the said Minister namely Detective Garda Graham Dillon to deport you from the State pursuant to the order while the said person was engaged in such deportation”, reports Breaking News.
The accused, who had previously been living in Dublin, replied, “I am not the person” when the charge was put to him.
Bail was refused on Tuesday, and the case resumed before Judge Alan Mitchell at Cloverhill District Court on Friday, reports Breaking News.
The accused, who attended the hearing by video link, spoke several times during the procedural proceedings, initially repeating his claim that “I am not the person named on the charge.”
After confirming which legal firm he wished to act for him, the judge noted that the allegation was a “summary only” offence handled at District Court level and carrying a maximum sentence of 12 months in prison and a fine of up to €2,500, reports Breaking News.
“It is the first time we have ever used it,” GNIB Detective Garda Dillon advised the court.
The defence barrister sought an adjournment to allow gardaí to provide disclosure, and the judge remanded Okwuoha in continued custody to appear again in two weeks to formally enter a plea, reports Breaking News.
He noted from the detective garda that it was alleged officers attempted to remove the accused from the State, “and the removal had to be aborted due to his behaviour”.
Mitchell emphasised that the accused still held the presumption of innocence and directed that disclosure should be provided within a week, reports Breaking News.
The defence barrister assured Okwuoha that a legal consultation would be arranged as soon as possible, and he thanked his counsel.
The judge asked the GNIB detective whether this was a new type of charge or if it had been prosecuted previously: the officer replied, “It has not been prosecuted before. I suppose the level of resistance is unusual”, reports Breaking News.
“We will wait and see”, returned Mitchell, adding that the man could enter a not guilty plea.
At his 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”, reports Breaking News.
Another barrister who represented the accused during Tuesday’s bail hearing said the man maintained he was not the person named in the charge. The detective responded, “We are 100 per cent confident,” adding that it had been confirmed by legitimate authorities.
Okwuoha did not require an interpreter and spoke only during the bail hearing to instruct his barrister, who told the court that his client claimed to be “one of decuplets”, a rare situation where 10 children are born from the same pregnancy, reports Breaking News.
Counsel told the court that Okwuoha had identical brothers and that he had “swapped places with his brother and came to Ireland”.
The detective believed Okwuoha would fail to appear in court if granted bail and said he had a history of bench warrants for failing to attend proceedings in the State as well as “giving different names, using different dates of birth and identities”, reports Breaking News.
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