A record number of Nigerians and Ghanaians were deported on a single flight, with 44 individuals forcibly removed on Friday, October 18, as confirmed by the Home Office.
According to the Guardian UK, the Home Office stated that these deportations were part of a “major surge” in immigration enforcement and returns. Since the Labour government took power in July, around 3,600 people have been deported to various countries, including approximately 200 to Brazil and 46 to Vietnam and Timor Leste.
Regular deportation flights also take place to Albania, Lithuania, and Romania. However, flights to Nigeria and Ghana are infrequent, with only four recorded since 2020. Previous flights carried far fewer people, with numbers ranging from six to 21. The recent flight, carrying 44 people, more than doubled these figures.
News also emerged that asylum seekers arriving in Diego Garcia before the UK and Mauritius finalize a treaty over the Chagos Islands will be sent to Saint Helena, one of the world’s most remote locations.
One of four Nigerians, detained at Brook House immigration removal centre near Gatwick before his deportation, attempted suicide. His cellmate, who witnessed the incident, said the man was “very traumatised.” Another detainee, who had lived in the UK for 15 years as an asylum seeker without a criminal record, said his asylum claim was rejected by the Home Office.
Fizza Qureshi, CEO of Migrants’ Rights Network, who was in contact with individuals on the Nigeria/Ghana deportation flight, expressed shock at the “cruelty” of the deportations, citing their speed, secrecy, and lack of legal support. A detainee remarked, “The Home Office is playing politics with people’s lives. We’ve done nothing wrong but ask for help.”
A Home Office spokesperson added, “We have initiated a major surge in immigration enforcement and returns, removing those with no right to remain in the UK, with over 3,600 deportations since the new government took office.”
