The Nigerian Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs has disclosed that about 3 million Nigerians are living in the United Kingdom illegally.
Committee Chairman, Alhaja Monsurat Sunmonu who made the disclosure said the UK had no plans to deport 29,000 Nigerians.
“The deputy comptroller just confirmed to us that it is not true that 29, 000 Nigerians are being deported from the United Kingdom or that the UK government intends to deport 29, 000 Nigerians.
“He (however) said that only 48 Nigerians were deported and he had shown us their names and records that actually confirmed that they had all served their prison sentences so that is why they are being deported.”
She added, ”About three million Nigerians are illegally living in the United Kingdom and that if three million Nigerians are living there illegally and they are only removing just 48 people confirmed to have committed crime and jailed, then the situation is not too bad.”
“We will not relent in our efforts on checking and doing our oversight functions. If it requires for us to go there and visit them, and to ask questions, we won’t mind to go there and to give Nigerians and to give them the history and the records of what we find out.”
Acting Nigerian High Commissioner in London, Olukunle Bamgbose, had made the revelation earlier this year of the UK’s plan to deport 29000 Nigerians.