BREAKING: UK deports 43 immigration offenders to Nigeria, Ghana

The United Kingdom has deported 43 immigration offenders to Nigeria and Ghana.

This was confirmed in a joint statement issued on Friday April 25, 2025, by the UK Home Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO.

The statement said the deportees included 15 failed asylum seekers and 11 foreign nationals who had served prison sentences.

It also revealed that seven individuals left the UK voluntarily.

However, the statement did not indicate the exact date the deportations were carried out.

It also failed to state how many of the returnees were sent to Nigeria and how many to Ghana.

The nationalities of the deportees were also not clearly disclosed in the official release.

The UK government, under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, has intensified deportation efforts since he took office in 2024.

According to government records, this is the second charter flight to Nigeria and Ghana in recent months.

Together, the two deportation flights have removed 87 people.

In October 2024, 44 Nigerians and Ghanaians were deported on a single UK flight, the highest number recorded so far.

The focus on deporting immigrants to Nigeria and Ghana follows the collapse of the UK-Rwanda deportation deal.

That plan, signed in 2022, was intended to send illegal migrants to Rwanda for processing and resettlement.

However, the deal faced serious legal opposition and was eventually ruled unlawful by the UK Supreme Court in 2023.

Following that ruling, the UK government turned to bilateral agreements with West African countries.

Nigeria reportedly signed a deportation agreement with the UK that allows illegal migrants to be returned home.

After the latest deportation flight, the British Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Angela Eagle, expressed appreciation.

She thanked the governments of Nigeria and Ghana for facilitating the deportation exercise.

Eagle described the operation as a demonstration of strong diplomatic cooperation on immigration matters.

She stressed the importance of international collaboration in maintaining border security.

The UK government noted that more than 24,000 people have been returned so far in the current year.

This marks an 11 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Officials said the government remains committed to enforcing immigration laws and removing individuals without legal status.

According to the Home Office, all removals were conducted in line with UK laws and international obligations.

Meanwhile, critics have raised concerns about the human rights implications of mass deportations.

Some advocacy groups argue that many deportees fled persecution and should have been granted protection.

Despite opposition, the UK government has pledged to continue firm action against illegal immigration.

The deportations are part of broader efforts to reform the country’s immigration system.

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