The United Kingdom has deported a record number of Nigerians and Ghanaians to their home countries.
According to the UK Guardian, 44 West African nationals were put on a flight last Friday.
In the report, the UK Home Office stated that the deportations of Nigerians and Ghanaians were part of a “major surge” in immigration enforcement and returns.
It noted that there have not been deportations to the two countries in such numbers in recent times, with only four recorded since 2020.
Meanwhile, the Guardian revealed it spoke to four Nigerians while they were being held at the Brook House immigration removal centre, near Gatwick Airport, before their deportation.
One of the individuals stated he was “very traumatised” by what he had experienced.
“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,” another man said.
Reacting to the incident, a Home Office spokesperson said, “We have already begun delivering a major surge in immigration enforcement and returns activity to remove people with no right to be in the UK and ensure the rules are respected and enforced, with over 3,600 returned in the first two months of the new government.”