‘Humiliated’: African man wrapped entirely in cling film then deported on plane by Turkish officials

Footage shows Emmanuel Chedjou shouting as three men help him tear away packaging

A Cameroonian businessman has said he was left “humiliated” when his entire body was wrapped in plastic as he was deported on a flight from Turkey.

Footage shows Emmanuel Chedjou, 47, shouting for help and struggling to free himself from the plastic film, which is used to wrap luggage at airports.

His wrists were bound by plastic ties, metal cuffs had been locked around his ankles and his mouth had been stuffed with tissues before being taped shut.

After Mr Chedjou manages to free his mouth and call out, three men can be seen helping him to tear away the wrapping.

A surgical mask can be seen hanging from Mr Chedjou’s ear, suggesting it may have been used to hide the fact his mouth had been covered with tape.

Mr Chedjou, a shoeseller from Douala, Cameroon, said he was travelling to Dubai with his partner when they were detained in Istanbul in January.

He had left the airport during an eight-hour layover to run an errand and when he returned to passport control he was accused of having a fake transit visa and arrested.

Mr Chedjou, who claims he was scammed by a travel agency, told France24 he was taken to a detention centre where his phone was confiscated and he was denied access to a lawyer.

He said authorities tried to deport him two days later but gave up when he protested.

Several days later, when officials tried to put him on flight TK667 from Istanbul to Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, he said he protested again and was taken to a “special room” where a dozen officers “tried to control” him.

“They put plastic ties on my wrists and ankles and then put on metal cuffs. Then they stuffed my mouth with tissues and taped it shut,” he told the network.

“Then they took two giant rolls of plastic film, which is used in airports to wrap up suitcases. They wrapped me in layer upon layer from my neck to my feet and it was absolutely impossible to move. That’s when I started struggling to breathe.”

Mr Chedjou also claimed his jeans were ripped and €2,400 (£2,000) stolen from his pockets.

Mr Chedjou said he was then accompanied off the plane by a Turkish Airlines flight attendant, while his girlfriend flew onwards to Yaounde.

He said he was left in the terminal at Istanbul for two days and had to beg to eat.

He was then taken back to the detention centre and later told he was going to be deported to Abuja, Nigeria, which is 500 miles from Douala, where he lives.

After landing in Abuja, Mr Chedjou managed to organise a driver to return to Douala and arrived home two weeks after he first landed in Turkey.

“I want to speak out against Turkish Airlines and the officers who humiliated me,” he said. “I want compensation for everything I went through and, if possible, I’m going to file a complaint.”

The Independent has contacted Turkish Airlines for comment.