A unnamed Nigerian man claiming fear of persecution from a cult in his home country has lost his legal challenge against the rejection of his asylum application.
Justice Anthony Barr dismissed the man’s appeal, upholding the previous decision by the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) that denied him refugee status and subsidiary protection, according to www.breakingnews.ie.
While the judge acknowledged the tribunal found the man “subjectively credible” in his story about his father’s alleged cult-related death and subsequent threats, he ruled that the man’s fears of persecution were ultimately deemed “objectively unfounded.”
Justice Barr explained that the tribunal’s evaluation considered the man’s prolonged stays in Nigeria without facing harm, despite having ample opportunities to seek asylum in other countries he visited, like the UK, USA, and Germany.
The applicant had claimed his fear of persecution only “crystallized” in 2019, justifying his delay in seeking asylum. However, the judge determined that the tribunal was justified in rejecting this explanation, noting his past travels and opportunities for asylum in safer countries.
The man’s case centered around his alleged royal lineage and his fear of facing consequences for refusing to join a cult, as his father reportedly did before being killed.
Despite finding the man’s personal story credible, the judge ultimately sided with the tribunal’s assessment that the presented evidence about the cult and potential threats in Nigeria did not sufficiently support the man’s claim of well-founded fear of persecution.
The judge highlighted that the tribunal conducted a “balanced analysis” of the evidence, including information about the general situation in Nigeria, and concluded that the man’s fear of harm did not meet the required threshold for asylum.
This ruling brings an end to the man’s legal challenge and upholds the initial decision denying him international protection in Ireland.
