Canada judge denies ex-Nigerian policeman residency, labels force a criminal outfit

A Canadian federal judge has denied permanent residency to Iyanbe Eriator, a former corporal in the Nigeria Police Force, citing his past association with what the court described as an institution deeply complicit in crimes against humanity.

Justice Yvan Roy of the Federal Court in Ottawa upheld a decision by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that found Eriator inadmissible to Canada due to his previous role in the police, which the judge described as an “evil force.”

According to Roy, the Nigerian police systematically engaged in rape, torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings – acts that violate the Rome Statute. The judge said Eriator, by remaining a member of the force, contributed to these crimes even if he didn’t personally commit them.

“Given his position, he made a significant contribution to the crimes,” Roy ruled. “He could not have been unaware of the repeated and systematic acts of violence and torture.”

Eriator, who joined the Nigerian police in 2009 and left in 2016, denied involvement in any wrongdoing. He told the court that he served as a regular officer, including assignments during the 2015 general elections and a brief stint with the now-disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Ikeja.

He entered Canada illegally via a U.S. land border in October 2017 and later sought permanent residency. His appeal to overturn the IRCC decision was rejected by the court, further affirming Canada’s zero-tolerance policy toward individuals associated with human rights violations.

Eriator’s case is the latest in a string of failed asylum bids by former Nigerian police officers. In 2021, Judge Sébastien Grammond ruled against Olushola Popoola, a former SARS operative, for his affiliation with the “brutal” unit. Similarly, Charles Ukoniwe, a former member of the Mobile Police (MOPOL), was denied asylum after Judge Patrick Gleeson ruled that joining the Nigerian police – voluntarily – amounted to complicity in systemic abuses.

Canada’s courts have consistently held that affiliation with the Nigeria Police Force, particularly elite units like SARS and MOPOL, constitutes a violation of international humanitarian standards, regardless of individual conduct.

Legal experts say the rulings highlight a growing trend in international asylum law: collective responsibility for institutions deemed to perpetrate widespread abuses. As such, former personnel of the Nigeria Police may continue to face blanket ineligibility in countries that enforce strict human rights vetting.