UK Deports Record Number of Nigerians and Ghanaians in a Single Flight, Deportees Cry for Help

A record number of Nigerians and Ghanaians were deported to their home countries on one flight, with 44 forcibly removed on Friday, the Home Office of the UK has confirmed.

The news came as it emerged that any asylum seekers who arrive in Diego Garcia before a treaty between the UK and Mauritius to hand back the Chagos Islands is finalized will be sent to Saint Helena, a British territory in the Atlantic Ocean described as one of the most remote places on Earth.

The Home Office told the media that the Nigeria and Ghana deportations were part of a “major surge” in immigration enforcement and returns.

The previous deportation flights had far fewer people onboard, with six, seven, 16, and 21 respectively. Friday, October 18, 2024’s flight had more than double that number removed on a single flight.

UK media spoke to four Nigerians while they were held at Brook House Immigration Removal Center near Gatwick before their deportation. One man due to fly tried to kill himself. His cellmate, who witnessed the attempt, said he was “very traumatized” by what he had seen.

A second man said: “I’ve been in the UK for 15 years as an asylum seeker. I have no criminal record but the Home Office has refused my claim.”

A third man said he had been groomed into exploitation as a child and had torture scars on his body. “I told the Home Office I was a victim of trafficking. They rejected my claim.”