LONDON, England – The United Kingdom (UK) has deported 43 individuals, including failed asylum seekers and foreign offenders, back to Nigeria and Ghana.
This action is part of the UK government’s ongoing efforts to manage immigration and deportation of individuals who have overstayed their right to remain in the country.
A joint statement issued on Friday, April 25, 2025, by the UK Home Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) revealed that the deportees included 15 failed asylum seekers and 11 foreign national offenders who had served their sentences.
Additionally, seven individuals returned voluntarily.
However, the statement did not specify the exact date of the deportations or the specific number of individuals sent to each country.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer‘s government has overseen two chartered flights carrying a total of 87 deportees to Nigeria and Ghana since taking office last year.
This follows a previous deportation in October 2024, when 44 Nigerian and Ghanaian asylum seekers were returned in what was described as the highest single deportation flight to these countries.
This deportation initiative comes after the UK’s attempted deal with Rwanda in 2022, which aimed to send asylum seekers arriving illegally in the UK to East Africa for processing and resettlement.
However, this deal faced significant legal challenges and was ruled unlawful by the UK Supreme Court in 2023.
As a result, the UK shifted focus to Nigeria and Ghana and reportedly signed deportation agreements with these countries.
In the latest deportation, UK’s Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Angela Eagle, expressed gratitude to both the Nigerian and Ghanaian governments for their cooperation in facilitating the deportations.
The joint statement highlighted the growing collaboration between the UK, Nigeria, and Ghana on handling this “critical issue” of immigration control.
Furthermore, the UK government noted that over 24,000 people have been returned in total over the past year, marking an 11 percent increase compared to the same period the previous year.
