A flight chartered by the United Kingdom Government, carrying at least 30 Nigerians and eight Ghanaians, yesterday, landed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, in Lagos.
This came as the U.K. announced a “major new agreement” with Nigeria to collaborate on migration issues, following similar arrangements with Ghana and Rwanda.
U.K. Home Office, responsible for migration issues in Nigeria stated that the flight carried also eight Ghanaians.
The flight is operated by Portuguese charter carrier Hi Fly.
Typically, a deportation order is made when a foreign national is convicted of an offense and sentenced to, at least, 12 months.
It is unclear why exactly the people on the plane were deported, though the Home Office described 11 of those removed as “foreign national offenders” and 10 as “immigration offenders.”
There was no available information about why the remaining deportees were deported.
It was gathered that over 10,000 people had been deported from the U.K. between January, 2019 and May, 2022.
Earlier, protestors gathered outside the female-only Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre in northern England to register their concern.
The protestors demonstrated and shouted pro-refugee slogans as a bus, believed to have been carrying some of the deportees, left the centre.
Several protestors were arrested.
It has been reported that among those slated for deportation on the flight were mothers and grandmothers, many of whom had been in the country for decades, as well as members of the LGBTQ+ community who had been seeking asylum in the U.K.
One gay Nigerian man believed (though not confirmed) to have been on the flight had previously said he feared for his life if returned to Nigeria.
The government has repeatedly come under fire for allegedly deporting people to situations where they face grave danger, as well as taking steps to speed up the removal process, which critics say pose “grave human rights violations.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “The U.K. only ever returns individuals to their country of origin when the Home Office and, where applicable, the courts deem it is safe to do so. All asylum and human rights claims are carefully considered in accordance with our international obligations. Each individual assessment is made against the background of relevant caselaw and the latest country information.”