A report published on the United Kingdom’s official government website, gov.uk, on Friday, say forty-three Nigerians were deported as part of its most recent effort to tighten immigration rules.
Eleven foreign national criminals who had served their jail terms and fifteen unsuccessful asylum seekers were among those deported. As part of the operation, seven more people willingly departed the UK.
The deportation flight is a component of the government’s larger “Plan for Change,” which aims to quickly remove people who lack the legal right to remain in order to restore discipline within the immigration system.
Since the previous general election, there have been two deportation flights to Nigeria and Ghana, increasing the total number of deportees under the current administration to 87.
Officials emphasised how Nigeria and the UK are working together more and more on migration management.
Over 24,000 people have been deported since the current administration entered office, which is 11% higher than during the same time previous year. With 3,594 criminals removed, deportations of foreign national offenders have also increased by 16%.
All deportations are conducted “in a dignified and respectful manner,” according to authorities.
“This flight demonstrates how international partnerships deliver on working people’s priorities for swift returns and secure borders,” said Angela Eagle, the UK Minister for Border Security and Asylum, in a statement regarding the development.
“Through the Plan for Change, we’re going further in restoring order to a broken system, accelerating returns of those with no right to be here, and closing expensive asylum hotels.”
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She also expressed gratitude to the governments of Ghana and Nigeria for enabling the deportations, characterising them as an example of coordinated efforts to prevent organised crime related to immigration and safeguard national boundaries.
The FCDO Minister in charge of irregular migration, Baroness Chapman of Darlington, also stated: “Tackling irregular migration requires collaboration with partners and other nations worldwide.
“I applaud our robust collaboration with Ghana and Nigeria to secure our borders, implement the Plan for Change, and repatriate those who have no right to be in the UK.”
This most recent deportation comes after the recent Organised Immigration Crime Summit, which brought together officials from more than 40 nations, including Ghana and Nigeria, to strengthen international migration management and step up the worldwide war on smuggling gangs.
