SAN FRANCISCO, November 25, (THEWILL) – About 48 Nigerians deported by the government of the United Kingdom Wednesday arrived at the Hajj and Cargo Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, at 8:07am local time aboard a large chartered aircraft.
On ground at the airport were the Immigration officials, TARMAC Operations officers, the Nigeria Police Force, Airport Command, Air Force Defence officers and other security agents who provided adequate security during the documentation exercise of the deportees.
THEWILL reporter at the airport observed that all the necessary documentation of the deportees were taken to the main entrance of the Nacho gate, where they were dispatched, while some of the deportees were received by their relatives at the same venue.
THEWILL further learnt that Landover Company acted as the handling company in charge of evacuating the deportees.
THEWILL recalls that Nigerians living in the UK on Monday, November 23, cried out that the UK authorities were planning to deport 500 Nigerians due to immigration issues and other related offences and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the UK government to stop the deportation.
A relative of one of the deportees, who refused to have his name mentioned, said that he came to receive his aged brother’s son who was running his Masters Degree programme in the UK.
According to him, “I was surprised when I heard that my elder brother’s son was one of those deported by the UK government. So, I came to the airport to pick him up.”
When asked why the UK government deported the student, he said: “I don’t know, I have never gone to the UK before. Nigeria is where I have lived all my life.”
One of the officials of the Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) our reporter contacted to speak on the deportation said they had been redeployed from the airport but refused to disclose further information.
All efforts to speak to some of the deportees were frustrated by security officials.
*** Editor’s note: This report was updated to reflect the true number of deportees.
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