There is a charter flight happening tonight at 10pm, which will deport around 15 people to Nigeria and Ghana.
These are some of their stories:
Lucky’s story
My name is Lucky. I am from Nigeria. I was born there. I come from a very poor family. My father is a farmer. I am a farmer too and a truck driver. My mum died in 2011, and my dad died in 2014. I was on the farm in 2015. Boko Haram attacked us, kidnapped us and took as to the forest. They asked we are christian or muslim. My brother said we are Christian. They want us to join them. Before we join them we have to renounce Jesus and become Muslim. My brother said no. They shot him in the chest. He died. I found a way to escape. They shot me on my hand. I finally escaped.
They took my picture and are looking for me.
In 2022 I left Nigeria and I came to the UK. In Nigeria I was living in the bush (2015-2021). In 2021 I went back to the capital to work. I was coming back from Abuja to my hometown when Boko Haram attacked me. I started planning to leave Nigeria and applied for a visa to the UK in 2021.
If I go back now they are going to look for me. I will not be safe at all.
When they told me I will have to go back it affected my mental health. It made me think of my brother and what happened to me. I am not fine. I am living just by the grace of god. If they take me back now I don’t know where to start. I will have to go back to the bush.
George’s story
Most of the people who have removal notices just want to live a simple life, go back to their family and friends outside. They have overcome so much to be here.
Here in detention people have serious mental breakdowns as so many have attempted taking their lives. People would rather die than be on the plane, and this is not being taken seriously. The Home Office is playing politics with people’s lives. We have not done anything wrong rather than cry for help. Many of the people in detention have been caught out by unfamiliar admin processes with little or no help as our chances are bound to fail. You have to have so much strength to leave your home country and the danger there. A lot of people have journeyed dangerously through unconventional means through the deserts and rafts which have often led to modern slavery and death . People are not eating or sleeping. No one is paying attention. As Franklin D. Roosevelt once said “Remember, remember always , that all of us, you and I especially, are descendants of migrants”. Hear our cry for help.
We stand in solidarity with all those facing deportation. End racist deportations now!