United Kingdom early on Wednesday morning deported about 48 Nigerians who arrived at the Hajj and Cargo Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos dazed and very sad.
The deportees who include 44 males and four females were brought back to Nigeria in a chartered aircraft, which touched down at the airport by 8:07 amlocal time.
They were accompanied by UK security personnel and the reason given for their deportation was that they overstayed their visa.
After all the necessary documentations, the deportees who wore very sad faces fretted and very reluctantly obeyed when they were taken to the main entrance of the cargo terminal where they were dispatched to go home.
Some of the deportees who informed their relatives that they would be forced to return to their country were welcomed by these relatives before their arrival, while others sneakily left the airport, not wanting to be seen or noticed.
Buses owned by the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (nacho aviance) were used to convey the deportees in batches.
The deportation was well publicized in the media as UK government made its plans known that it would deport about 26,000 Nigeria and this 48 is the first batch of the deportations.
On Monday Nigerians living in the United Kingdom cried out to the Nigerian government that the UK authorities were planning to deport 500 Nigerians due to immigration issues and other related offences and called on President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the UK government to stop the deportation.
On ground at the airport were the Immigration Officers, ground handling company officials, the Nigeria Police Force, Airport Command, Nigeria Air Force officers and other security agents who provided adequate security during the documentation exercise of the deportees.
A relative of one of the deportees who requested for anonymity, said that he came to receive his nephew who was studying for his Masters degree programme in the United Kingdom, adding that he was surprised when he heard that his nephew was one of those deported by the UK government.
Over the years deportees arriving the country often come through the Hajj and Cargo Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos because they are not regarded as regular passengers.
