Security scare over Nigerians deported from UK

In from Ahmed Boulor . . .

The deportation of 500 Nigerians from the United Kingdom is beginning to raise fears as the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), failed to sreen some of the deportees.

Investigation showed that the NIS failed to properly screen and profile them, despite a general concern that not all of them are Nigerians.

The UK government had Wednesday morning deported them, as a Titan Airways plane landed at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos at about 6 am.

Many of the deportees were seen trying to figure out what to do.

Authorities in the UK say the exercise is in continuation of a monthly exercise to deport Nigerians arrested for immigration and other criminal offences.

Most of the deportees obviously do not look happy to be back in the country with some complaining of not having anywhere to go because they don’t have relatives and therefore are stranded.

It is however not clear why officials of the NIS at the airport failed to screen all the deportees bearing in mind the spate of insecurity in the country.

The NIS spokesman, Ekpedeme King, had stated that only 46 Nigerians were deported form the UK, and not 500 as stated by online reports, and that they were sent home due to immigration related offenses.

He also stated that they were deported on issues unrelated to the alleged plans by the UK government to deport 29,000 Nigerians.

The BBC, which originally carried the story, has since retracted their story which was displayed on their website.

RipplesNigeria …without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now