A Nigerian internet fraudster and alumnus of Covenant University, Emmanuel Jack, who defrauded women out of nearly £200,000 through romance scams, has been allowed to remain in the United Kingdom after a court ruled that deporting him to Nigeria would be excessively harsh on his British wife and children due to their complex medical needs, according to a Friday report by the Daily Mail.
Jack, 35, was sentenced to three years in prison in 2014 for posing as an architect on dating websites, using aliases like John Creed, John Windsor, and Johnnie Carlo Rissi to trick six vulnerable women in the UK and the US into sending him £186,000. He collaborated with an accomplice in this fraudulent scheme, commonly known as “Yahoo Yahoo” in Nigeria.
In 2022, the UK Home Office decided to deport Jack back to Nigeria—the country he left at age 10 with his parents—prompting him to challenge the decision legally. However, a London-based immigration and asylum tribunal, led by judges Victor Rae-Reeves and Luke Bulpitt, ruled in his favor, stating that his deportation would have devastating consequences for his family, who rely on his care due to their serious health issues.
Jack’s British wife reportedly suffers from medical complications stemming from pregnancy, while his 18-month-old son, born prematurely, has severe developmental challenges requiring constant supervision and specialized treatment. Additionally, his six-year-old daughter has vision problems, and his 16-year-old daughter from a previous relationship depends on his support and care.
In a letter, the 16-year-old daughter emphasized the “huge role” Jack plays in her life, warning that “the family would fall apart without him.” The family’s priest also argued that deportation would “tear apart a loving family” and have a “disastrous” impact on their lives.
The tribunal noted that Jack’s wife and children receive ongoing, specialized medical care in the UK, including regular consultations, detailed investigations, and intensive treatment plans. Deporting them to Nigeria, where the healthcare system is inadequate to meet their needs, would disrupt this care and jeopardize their well-being, the judges said.
“We consider that it would be unduly harsh for [them] to leave their regular consultants and multidisciplinary teams who know them and their conditions well, to face the uncertainties of the Nigerian health system,” the judges stated. They added that Jack’s son, in particular, requires “bespoke multidisciplinary attention” unavailable in Nigeria.
The panel also recognized Jack as a “loving and very hands-on father” deeply involved in his children’s care, noting that his absence would have severe emotional, psychological, and practical consequences for the family. Despite acknowledging the public interest in deporting foreign criminals, the tribunal concluded that the impact on Jack’s family outweighed this interest.
Jack arrived in the UK in 1997 and was granted indefinite leave to remain. He later studied business at the University of Salford but turned to crime between 2011 and 2012. After his arrest, he obtained British citizenship before his conviction, but this was revoked by the Home Office following his release from prison in 2014. He has since married a British woman, with whom he has built a family over the past six years.
The ruling has sparked mixed reactions, with some viewing it as a necessary protection of family rights, while others criticize it as leniency toward a convicted fraudster. Jack’s education at Covenant University, a prestigious Nigerian institution known for producing notable alumni, adds another layer to the controversy surrounding his case.