The UK Home Office has confirmed that 44 nationals of Nigeria and Ghana were removed on a single flight on Friday. Officials described the operation as the largest single removal recorded in recent years and as part of a major surge in immigration enforcement.
The flight forms part of intensified efforts by the British government to increase the number of enforced returns of foreign nationals who have no legal right to remain in the United Kingdom. Home Office sources indicated that both Nigerian and Ghanaian citizens were among those on board.
In response, the Federal Government of Nigeria clarified that any bilateral arrangement covering returns applies strictly to Nigerian nationals. Officials stated that the United Kingdom would bear the full cost of returning any person who was erroneously included on the flight and who is not a Nigerian citizen.
The clarification is intended to ensure that only Nigerian nationals are subject to removal under the terms of the agreement and that Nigeria is not left to absorb the consequences of any mistaken identification. The development highlights ongoing cooperation between the two countries on immigration matters while underlining the limits of that cooperation as defined by the Nigerian authorities.
By A.Ikechukwu
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