The government of the United Kingdom (UK) has deported 23 Nigerians for committing immigration-related offences in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the deportees arrived at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at about 6.a.m on Friday, March 31, 2017.
The Nigerians, who are all males, were brought back in a chartered aircraft.
DSP Joseph Alabi, the spokesperson of the Lagos Airport Police Command, confirmed the development to NAN.
The deportees were received by officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service, the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, and the police.
Also on ground to receive them were officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
NAN gathered that the deportees were profiled by immigration authorities and given stipends to facilitate their transportation to their respective states.
The Italian government on March 8, deported 37 Nigerians from the country for similar reasons. In December 2014, 100 Nigerians were deported from Norway and Denmark in a similar fashion.
In February, the UK also deported 41 Nigerians fro related offences. Most of the deportees were said to be living in the UK illegally as their travel documents had expired.
Meanwhile, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari on Diaspora affairs on Thursday, March 30, 2017 announced that there were currently about 15 million Nigerians in various parts of the world.
Dabiri-Erewa made the announcement at the Island Club, Lagos, in a lecture titled “Nigerians in The Diaspora: Strengths and Challenges in Pursuit of National Development’’.
She said that Nigerians living in the different countries of world were “the good, the bad, and the ugly”, but many of them were doing “excellently well’’ in their professions.
“We have found out that there are currently about 15 million Nigerians in the Diaspora,” she said.
“We have Nigerians in different parts of the world. Although, we have the good, the bad and the ugly, Nigeria has proud stories to share of many of her Diaspora nationals.
“Let us always celebrate the good things that many of our globally celebrated Nigerians in the Diaspora are doing today,’’ she said. (NAN)
