It is being reported that at least 60
Nigerians resident in the United Kingdom have been deported because of
various criminal offences. While some of the deportees had contravened
immigration rules, others were deported for their involvement in crimes
such as rape, stealing, smoking and selling of hard drugs. Some were
also deported because they used fake visa or engaged in fake marriages.
Some of the deportees at the airport
said they had lived in the UK for long but could not get residence
permit. They narrated their experiences to PM News and gave reasons for their deportation.
Bathlomew Sunday, an indigene of Anambra
State, southeast Nigeria, said that he lived in UK for nine years but
could not get residence permit. Sunday said he had to engage in a
contract marriage to get the permit but was later caught by the British
immigration, which deported him to Nigeria.
He said he was not allowed
to take any of his possessions before he was deported, adding that it
was at the airport that he discovered other Nigerians were also
deported. Sunday explained that the British government made it difficult
for immigrants, especially Nigerians, to get residence permit, saying
that they didn’t plan to stay there illegally.
Another deportee, Daniel Uche, who hails
from Enugu State, said that the global economic meltdown has made it
difficult to get jobs in the UK, thus many Nigerians are struggling to
survive. Uche said there are no jobs for foreigners in UK, and to
survive, many engage in shady businesses.
Also, Peter Nkwocha from Delta State
said he travelled to UK about seven years ago, but he was arrested and
later deported because he was wrongly accused of rape. Though he said he
denied the allegation, he was arrested and later deported when the
British authorities discovered he had a ‘contract’ marriage during
investigation.
From their accounts, it is clear that
they knew they had committed some offences – staying in UK illegally
without residence permit, having ‘contract’ marriages, engaging in shady
businesses and more. Isn’t it sad that Nigerians have to resort to
committing such crimes just because they want to live in foreign
countries such as the UK.
Thoughts?
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