British envoy to probe woman's airport ordeal`He said you don't sound British to me,' visitor says

Tinuola Modupe Adewola Akintade says she was handcuffed, detained and humiliated by Canadian immigration officials - all because she didn't look or sound British enough.

The 33-year-old British citizen arrived at Pearson International Airport Wednesday evening to visit a friend who was about to give birth.

But after an immigration officer questioned the authenticity of her passport, she said, she was questioned for about 10 hours, held overnight at an immigration detention centre and prevented from contacting British diplomatic officials.

A spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration Canada could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The British deputy high commissioner plans to look into the allegations made by Akintade, who was born in England to Nigerian parents but was raised in their homeland until she returned to her birthplace 4 1/2 years ago.

``On the face of it, this is a disturbing incident,'' Richard Codrington, Britain's deputy high commissioner to Canada said from Ottawa yesterday.

``We shall want to know more about it and seek some explanation from the Canadian authorities,'' Codrington said.

After arriving from London on a Canada 3000 flight, Akintade said she handed an immigration officer - whose identification number was 3419 - her maroon British passport.

He questioned its validity.

``He said you don't sound British to me. He said you have an accent you're not British,'' Akintade said.

A copy of the report written on the night of May 30 by the immigration officer who examined Akintade said he was suspicious because her ticket had be paid for by a friend, which Akintade said she later reimbursed.

The report noted Akintade refused to answer when asked if she had any health problems. ``It is none of your business. What do you want to know? Do you think I have AIDS?'' the report quoted Akintade as responding.

The registered psychiatric nurse said she told the immigration officer his statement was racist. ``I told him there are black Brits and Afro-Caribbeans and Asians, who are all British.''

Akintade said the immigration officer continued to questioned the authenticity of her passport, issued to her on Oct. 2, 1996 by the British High Commission in Lagos, Nigeria.

She said she then produced at least seven pieces of identification from her wallet to verify her residency in the United Kingdom.

``He said he was still not convinced.''

Akintade said after being left sitting in a waiting room for several hours, the same immigration officer reappeared and asked her: ``Are you still standing on those words that you're British?''

Akintade said she repeatedly asked immigration officials to allow her to get in contact with the British High Commission or consulate, but she was rebuffed. ``Finally at midnight, they told me its too late to call the consulate,'' Akintade said.

Codrington said he was troubled by the allegation a British citizen was denied adequate access to her consulate or high commission.

Ben Ogunleye waited for hours at Pearson's arrivals lounge wondering what had become of his wife's friend. He was anxious to pick her up and get back to Mount Sinai Hospital where his wife Jo-Anne was being induced into labour.

Ogunleye, who works as an insurance claims adjuster, said Canada has been good to him and his wife - a computer systems engineer - and he's not quick to complain. ``I don't play the race game. But I can't help thinking if this person was white, would it have happened?''

A copy of the May 30 report by the immigration officer who examined Akintade said he did not believe she was a ``genuine visitor'' to Canada.

``Ms. Tinuola Akintade knows little about Canada and does not have any specific plans to visit the country. She only wants to visit a friend, whom she claims is having a baby,'' the officer's report said. He also questioned the fact that she only had 45 pounds cash in her possession.

Akintade was in the operating theatre Friday night when her friend from middle-school Jo-Anne Ogunleye finally gave birth by C-section to a baby boy weighing eight pounds, one ounce. Akintade said she didn't bring much money because she was only coming to Canada for seven days and was just here to be with Ogunleye, not to go sightseeing.

Akintade said she was tired, hungry and frustrated after hours of questioning and she was particularly troubled when she was repeatedly asked whether she was in Canada to seek asylum.

But Akintade said the worst part of her ordeal was when security officers came to handcuff her to a man to transport detainees to the Celebrity Inn on Airport Rd. ``I refused. I said it's only criminals and thieves that you use handcuffs.''

She said under pressure and exhaustion she finally relented. Akintade said she spent a sleepless night at the inn reading her bible. Early the next morning, she said, she borrowed a phone card and called her boss in England and asked him to fax documents to immigration officials.

Handcuffed again and taken back to Pearson for an immigration hearing Thursday morning, Akintade said an officer asked her a multitude of questions, including how much she earned and what she did with her wages.

Akintade said the officer then told her they had received a fax from her hospital in London and they were willing to release her from custody.

June 4, 2001