The United Kingdom has deported 43 individuals to Nigeria and Ghana for various immigration offences, including failed asylum applications and criminal convictions.
In a joint statement released on Friday, the Home Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) confirmed the deportations, though they did not disclose the specific date the removals took place.
Among those deported were 15 individuals whose asylum claims were unsuccessful and 11 foreign nationals who had completed prison sentences in the UK. An additional seven individuals voluntarily returned to their home countries.
“Those removed had no legal right to remain in the UK,” the statement noted, highlighting that the group included failed asylum seekers and foreign national offenders. However, the government did not specify how many were sent to each country or clarify whether all were citizens of Nigeria and Ghana.
Since Prime Minister Keir Starmer assumed office, the UK has conducted two charter deportation flights to Nigeria and Ghana, expelling a total of 87 people. In October, a record 44 individuals were deported on a single flight to the two countries.
The deportations come in the wake of the collapse of the UK’s controversial Rwanda migration deal, which was ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court in 2023. That plan had sought to relocate asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing and resettlement.
Following the scrapping of the Rwanda deal, the UK reportedly signed a deportation agreement with Nigeria to facilitate the return of undocumented migrants.
After the latest deportation exercise, UK Border Security and Asylum Minister, Angela Eagle, expressed appreciation to the Nigerian and Ghanaian governments for their cooperation, describing the operation as an example of strong international partnership.
The UK government also disclosed that more than 24,000 individuals have been removed from the country over the past year, representing an 11 percent increase compared to the previous year.
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