The United Kingdom has deported 43 individuals described as immigration offenders to Nigeria and Ghana, according to a joint statement released on Friday by the Home Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The statement, which did not specify the exact date of the deportation, revealed that the individuals removed included 15 failed asylum seekers and 11 foreign nationals who had served prison sentences. It also noted that seven individuals voluntarily agreed to return. However, it did not clarify how many deportees were sent to each country or whether all were citizens of Nigeria and Ghana.
This latest operation follows two earlier charter flights overseen by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer since he took office last year, during which a total of 87 people were deported to Nigeria and Ghana. In October of the previous year, 44 Nigerian and Ghanaian nationals were deported in what was reported as the largest single deportation flight to the region.
The shift in deportation strategy towards Nigeria and Ghana comes after the collapse of the UK’s controversial migration deal with Rwanda, signed in 2022. That agreement, which sought to process and resettle some asylum seekers in Rwanda, was declared unlawful by the UK Supreme Court in 2023 following a series of legal challenges.
In response to the failed Rwanda plan, Nigeria reportedly signed a separate deportation agreement with the UK, allowing for the return of illegal immigrants.
Following the latest deportation exercise, British Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Angela Eagle, expressed gratitude to the governments of Ghana and Nigeria for their cooperation, highlighting the operation as a demonstration of the strong partnership between the countries on immigration matters.
The Home Office further disclosed that more than 24,000 people have been returned under the current administration, marking an 11 percent increase compared to the same period last year.
Source: www.kumasimail.com
