The children were all part of family groups, gardaí said.

The Nigerian man was also sentenced for threatening to kill or cause serious harm to both the woman and her sister when they tried to get back her “bride price”, thereby ending the marriage

The largest bill was the €168,106 which was paid for a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 GXR for use in Abuja in Nigeria, FOI records showed.

Mr Justice Anthony Barr said the decision maker at the International Protection Appeals Tribunal (IPAT) found the man was “subjectively credible” but his fears of persecution were “objectively unfounded”

The man claimed the move would interfere with the constitutional rights of his three children who lawfully reside here