No fewer than 48 Nigerians were yesterday deported by the United Kingdom over several irregularities.
The deportees arrived the Hajj Camp area of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport at 8am.
They comprise 44 males and four females.
Before the confirmation, there was conflicting report about the actual number of people deported as information had it initially that about 500 Nigerians were involved. Public Relations Officer, Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Mr. Ekpedeme King, confirmed the deportation with our correspondent on phone, but could not give the registration number of the aircraft that brought them into the country.
He, however, confirmed that the deportees were repatriated into the country with chartered aircraft from UK.
Besides, a source close to the Ministry of Aviation, confided in our correspondent that a team from the British High Commission in Nigeria had last Friday visited the MMIA Airport Manager to inform him of the impending deportation.
The source further declared that there was no way about 500 people would be deported at once, stressing that some of them might become violent while onboard and were usually shackled and accompanied by security officials.
The returnees were received by various agencies such as Immigration that checked their identities to ascertain their nationalities, Police, National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons, NAPTIP, and other relevant stakeholders.
As at the time of filing this report, the returnees had moved away from the airport.
King told our correspondent that the deportees were returned to the country for overstaying their visas in the UK, adding that it was not the first time Nigerians would be deported from Britain or any other country for that matter.
He said: “What I can tell you is that some Nigerians were deported today (yesterday) for immigration offences. Most of those brought overstayed in the United Kingdom and it was not the first time Nigerians would be deported from UK or any other country for that matter.”
