3· Meetings of the Board During the year under review the Board met 13 times. During the period January to July, the Board visited the persons detained at the Safi Detention Centre seventeen (17) times. From August to December 2015, the newly constituted Board carried out thirteen (13) visits to the Safi Detention Centre. There were no visits to Hal Far Detention centre from July to December 2015, as all detainees had been transferred to the Safi Detention Centre. A list of the visits conducted by Board members during 2015 is annexed to this Report. The Board conducted 2 visits to Mount Carmel Hospital where a number of detainess were in-patients for different periods of time, following a referral by medical specialists. During the year, the Board also conducted 2 visits to the Police Headquarters where illegal immigrants were being held prior to a Joint Return Operation. Besides the scheduled regular visits to meet detained persons, the members of the Board also visited the detained persons following a meeting of the Board, as most Board meetings were held at the Safi Detention Centre. Most visits were carried out without prior notice to the Authorities concerned. During these visits the Board met detainees who very often asked to be interviewed by the members of the Board. Such interviews were carried out in private, except for instances when Board members requested members of the Detention Services to be present during an interview. The plenary meetings focused on the overall situation at the Detention Centre and on the various complaints received. During these meetings the Board also planned for various meetings with different entities. 4. Monitoring of Joint Retnrn Operations During 2015, members of the Board participated as Monitors in six Joint Return Operations, as detailed below: 1. Ms. Susan Sacco Mulvaney took part in a Joint Return Operation on the 12th March, 2015. The JRO was organised by Norway. Two Nigerian nationals were returned to Lagos via Madrid airport, where they joined other Nigerian nationals being returned to Lagos. 2. The second Joint Return Operation was organised on the 151h April, 2015, and the Monitor was again Ms. Susan Sacco Mulvaney . The return to Lagos was organised by the Netherlands via Madrid and involved three Nigerian nationals. 4