UK Denies Deporting 500 Nigerians, Says Only 46 Deported

Photo shows a cross-section of Nigerian deportees from the UK [Picture credit: BBC]

Contrary to reports making waves in Nigeria’s media world that  500 Nigerian were deported from the United kingdom, the UK government has vehemently refuted such claims.

BBC reported that according to UK officials, a total of 46 Nigerians were deported from the UK to Lagos today – not about 500 as is being reported in Nigeria.

They also stressed that such deportations were regular events, happening almost every month.

Below is an example of such report by TheCable on the deportation saga:

About 500 Nigerians deported from the United Kingdom arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on Tuesday. 

According to the BBC, they were brought into Nigeria on a chartered flight from London. Some of them are said to be stranded at the airport. 

“One person told me that he was arrested by British police and was not allowed to even take his belongings before being deported,” the BBC said in its report. 

“A few of them who say they don’t have relatives here are stranded in the airport.” 

UK has the plan to deport 29,000 Nigerians, according to reports. 

The decision of the British government to send away those living in its country illegally, has generated controversy.

Alexia Thomas, a Nigeria-born British human rights activist and chairman of Commonwealth Liberation Party (TCLP), a registered political party in England, has embarked on a massive campaign to protest the decision. 

In a statement issued on Monday, Thomas, who gave UK an ultimatum of two weeks to rescind on the decision, described the act as an attempt to “depower colored people”. 

“The United Kingdom ruling government is given up till the 7th of December, 2015, to pronounce mandate to release Nigerian citizens from immigration detention centres in the UK unconditionally without compromise, or else by 9th December, 2015, they (British government) should expect Nigerian citizens to boycott British products and produce,” the statement read. 

“The Nigerian people will refuse to patronise British airlines and Nigerian citizens will refuse to visit British embassy or submit applications nor pay them any fees. 

“The British government intention is a premeditated attempt to ‘depower colored people civilization enrichment’. 

“Their action is war against humanity. The Queen is called upon to caution the Conservative ruling government before they bring shame to the British Kingdom as their actions to dehumanise citizens from the Commonwealth nations and treat them as third class citizens by denying them equality means third world War is looming. 

“The TCLP pronounces that the world is yet to recover from the second world war of 1935, that saw 15 million Jews and others lost their lives, where Jews were massacred, 100 million citizens of the world displaced and made homeless.”

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