UK To Deny Undocumented Migrants Citizenship

  The British government on Wednesday said it was toughening immigration rules to make it almost impossible for undocumented migrants who arrive on small boats to later receive citizenship. Under new guidance migrants arriving by sea, or hidden in the back of vehicles will normally be refused citizenship. “This guidance further strengthens measures to make it clear that anyone who enters the UK illegally, including small boat arrivals, faces having a British citizenship application refused,” a Home Office spokesperson said. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government is under pressure to reduce migration after Nigel Farage’s anti-immigration Reform UK party won roughly four million votes during the last general election — an unprecedented haul for a far-right party. But the change to the rules has been criticised by some Labour MPs. “If we give someone refugee status, it can’t be right to then refuse them a route to become a British citizen,” wrote lawmaker Stella Creasy on X, adding that the policy would leave them “forever second class”. Free Movement, an immigration law blog, said the changes had the potential to “block a large number of refugees from naturalising as British citizens, effective immediately”. It called the updated guidance “incredibly spiteful and damaging to integration”. The announcement comes after MPs this week debated the government’s new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, designed to give law enforcement officials “counter-terror style powers” to break up gangs bringing irregular migrants across the Channel. Legal and undocumented immigration — both currently running at historically high levels — was a major political issue at the July 2024 poll that brought Starmer to power. On taking office, he immediately scrapped his Conservative predecessor Rishi Sunak’s plan to deter undocumented migration to the UK by deporting new arrivals to Rwanda. Instead he pledged to “smash the gangs” to bring the numbers down. Some 36,816 people were detected in the Channel between England and France in 2024, a 25 percent increase from the 29,437 who arrived in 2023, provisional figures from the interior ministry showed. AFP

ICYMI: ‘We Quit Our Jobs To Sell Jollof Rice In UK’

A Nigerian food vendor, Azeez Olayide, has said he and his business partner left their jobs to start selling jollof rice in the United Kingdom. Olayide disclosed this during a recent interview on the programme My Tasty Naija. He said the business name, ‘2 Nigerian Boys’ began in February 2019 at London Financial District, Spitalfield market. According to the businessman, the adventure started when he and his friend wanted to satisfy their appetite with ‘smoky’ jollof rice but did not get it. “The story was just about two Nigerian friends who loved Nigerian foods so much,” Olayide said. “One of them just said, ‘Let’s go to the city and bring jollof rice.’” The two men were dumbfounded on the first day they started the business as they sold all that they had in 30 minutes, giving them the confidence that the business would thrive. “Both of us were amazed and looked at each other in the face and said, ‘We need to quit our jobs and start selling Nigerian foods.’” He stressed that the success of the business was based on its acceptance by the customers who loved the food. “Ninety per cent of our customers are non-Africans, while the remaining 10 per cent are Nigerians. They love the beef when they eat it,” Olayide said. “It is a lunchtime business. We open business between 12pm and 2pm. It gets crazy here with lunchtime.” Another peculiarity of the business is that the food is cooked on-site to announce itself to passers-by and people. Meanwhile, he disclosed that a branch of the business has been opened in Briston after feedback from customers in London. Olayide, however, declined to reveal his business partner, whom he called ‘a magician’ and was the brain behind the cooking of the jollof rice. “You can’t see the person performing the magic. The second Nigerian boy is a magician who makes the Nigerian Boys come together for a business,” he added.

Asylum: UK Deports 44 Ghanaians, Nigerians In Single Flight

  In a record-breaking deportation flight, 44 Nigerians and Ghanaians were forcibly removed from the UK on Friday, marking a significant surge in immigration enforcement. According to The Guardian.com/uk The Home Office confirmed the action as part of a broader crackdown on immigration, which has seen the deportation of over 3,600 people since the Labour government came to power in July. This comes as news emerges that asylum seekers arriving at Diego Garcia, a UK-administered island, before the finalization of a treaty between the UK and Mauritius will be relocated to Saint Helena, a British territory in the Atlantic. This comes as news emerges that asylum seekers arriving at Diego Garcia, a UK-administered island, before the finalization of a treaty between the UK and Mauritius will be relocated to Saint Helena, a British territory in the Atlantic. The Chagos Islands treaty, expected to be signed next year, will not apply to around 60 Tamils who have been stranded on Diego Garcia since 2021 and are pursuing legal action over their detention. While the number of asylum seekers arriving at Diego Garcia has been in the hundreds, it pales in comparison to the tens of thousands who have crossed the English Channel in small boats from northern France in recent years. Just on Friday, 647 individuals made the perilous crossing in 10 boats, pushing the total for the year beyond 28,000. Deportation flights to Nigeria and Ghana have been relatively rare, with only four recorded since 2020, and prior flights carrying significantly fewer individuals—ranging from six to 21 people. The recent flight, which saw 44 deportees, more than doubled the numbers seen in previous removals. In a record-breaking deportation flight, 44 Nigerians and Ghanaians were forcibly removed from the UK on Friday, marking a significant surge in immigration enforcement. According to The Guardian.com/uk The Home Office confirmed the action as part of a broader crackdown on immigration, which has seen the deportation of over 3,600 people since the Labour government came to power in July. This comes as news emerges that asylum seekers arriving at Diego Garcia, a UK-administered island, before the finalization of a treaty between the UK and Mauritius will be relocated to Saint Helena, a British territory in the Atlantic. The Chagos Islands treaty, expected to be signed next year, will not apply to around 60 Tamils who have been stranded on Diego Garcia since 2021 and are pursuing legal action over their detention. While the number of asylum seekers arriving at Diego Garcia has been in the hundreds, it pales in comparison to the tens of thousands who have crossed the English Channel in small boats from northern France in recent years. Just on Friday, 647 individuals made the perilous crossing in 10 boats, pushing the total for the year beyond 28,000. Deportation flights to Nigeria and Ghana have been relatively rare, with only four recorded since 2020, and prior flights carrying significantly fewer individuals—ranging from six to 21 people. The recent flight, which saw 44 deportees, more than doubled the numbers seen in previous removals. The Guardian interviewed four Nigerian men held at Brook House immigration removal centre near Gatwick before their deportation. One of them, who had been in the UK for 15 years seeking asylum, expressed his distress: “I have no criminal record, but the Home Office has refused my claim.” Another man revealed he had been a victim of trafficking and bore torture scars, yet his asylum claim had also been rejected. Fizza Qureshi, the chief executive of Migrants’ Rights Network, condemned the deportations, citing the speed, secrecy, and lack of legal support. She quoted a detainee who said, “The Home Office is playing politics with people’s lives. We have not done anything wrong other than cry for help.” A Home Office spokesperson defended the move, stating that the government is committed to enforcing immigration rules and ensuring that people without legal rights to remain in the UK are returned.  

Tinubu Heads For UK, Begins Two Weeks Annual Leave

  President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will depart Abuja today for the United Kingdom to begin a two-week vacation, part of his yearly leave. A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, explained that the President “will use the two weeks as a working vacation and a retreat to reflect on his administration’s economic reforms.” According to the statement, “He will return to the country after the leave expires.”

Hamza Bin Laden, Previously Presumed Dead, Found Alive and Leading a Large Network- Report

  Experts believe that Hamza bin Laden, the son of Osama bin Laden, is alive and leading al-Qaeda, despite reports of his death in 2019. Hamza, known as the “Crown Prince of Terror” is thought to be secretly commanding the terrorist network, alongside his brother Abdullah, UK Mirror reports. Intelligence suggests that the brothers have established a militant dynasty, with 10 major terror training camps in Afghanistan and connections to other global extremist groups. Hamza, 34, is reportedly based in Jalalabad, a known terrorist hub east of Kabul. This development raises concerns about the continuation of Osama bin Laden’s legacy and the potential for further violence and terrorism. “Hamza bin Laden is not only alive but actively involved in al-Qaeda’s resurgence, a fact well-known among senior Taliban leaders. These leaders engage with him, holding regular meetings and securing him and his family. “It highlights a deep connection between al-Qaeda and the Taliban, one that is crucial for Western governments to understand. [Hamza] has ascended to the leadership of al-Qaeda, steering [it] towards its most potent resurgence since the Iraq War,” a report seen by the Mirror stated. “Under his command, al-Qaeda is regrouping and preparing for future attacks on Western targets. Hamza is driven by a powerful determination to continue the legacy of his father, which adds a symbolic and strategic weight to his actions. Moreover, Hamza’s brother, Abdullah bin Laden, plays a critical role in this revival.” Another report says the camps train fighters and suicide bombers, and teach them how to slip out of Afghanistan to launch threats against Western targets. It is thought up to 21 terror networks are operating in Afghanistan, turning the country into the world’s biggest terror hot spot. The latest assessments say al-Qaeda is working with Islamic State, sparking growing fears of another 9/11-style attack on the West. Another intelligence analysis document seen by the Mirror warns: “The parallels between the current situation and the prelude to the 9/11 attacks are alarming. The lack of a legitimate government and the ideological alignment between the ruling Taliban regime and these groups has turned Afghanistan into a haven for extremism. Terrorists from outside flock to the country for training.” It is believed too that al-Qaeda and ISK, the regional Islamic State franchise, are not just co-existing but actively collaborating, with inter-marriages among members. This is creating a unified and formidable terrorist network. This mirrors the alliances formed by key terrorist leaders in the past and underscores the growing danger.” It is believed that Hamza and his four wives have sheltered in Iran for several years to hide from the CIA. In 2019 the then US President Donald Trump claimed he had ordered a successful hit on Hamza in an airstrike believed to be in Ghazni Province in south east Afghanistan. No DNA proof was acquired by the CIA. In 2022, Ayman al-Zawahiri – an Egyptian who led al-Qaeda after Bin Laden senior was killed by the US in 2011 in Pakistan – was killed by a CIA missile in Kabul. It is believed Hamza and al-Qaeda’s de facto leader Saif al-Adel use safe houses in Afghanistan. The boltholes in Kandahar, Ghazni, Laghman, Parwan, Herat and Helmand enable al-Qaeda members to travel to and from Iran, according to the analysis seen by the Mirror. The report adds: “The resurgence and stronger ties between the Taliban and AQ and the establishment of its training camps in Afghanistan represent a profound threat to the West.” It says the camps teach that martyrdom is the highest achievement which motivates “many recruits to volunteer for suicide operations”.