As the deadline issued to President Muhammadu Buhari to shut London Nigerian High Commission draws near, more Nigerians living in the United Kingdom have pitched their tent with the movement, vowing to carry out their threat.
On Monday, a Nigerian-born Britain-based human rights activist, Professor Alexia Thomas, issued a 72-hour ultimatum to President Buhari calling for a closure of the Nigerian High Commission in United Kingdom or face the wrath of Nigerians living there.
Thomas is the Chairman of the Commonwealth Liberation Party (TCLP), a registered political party in UK and President of Independent Diplomat Commission (IDC).
She warned the Federal Government that if the threat was not heeded, it was pretty certain that the Nigerian House in the UK would be torched by Nigerians living in that country, in protest against their sufferings, which she attributed to the complicity of Nigerian diplomats there.
In an interview with journalists in London, Thomas manipulated the High Commission in issues relating to unchecked corruption, fraud, illegal arrest, criminal torture of Nigerians arrested and detained in various British Immigration Centres in the UK; Nigerians who are awaiting deportation.
She also alleged that officials of Nigerian High Commission trade every Nigerian deportee for the sum of £3,000 with the operatives of the UK Border Agency.
She maintained that there was a conspiracy between British Immigration and the UK Border Agency which led to her prison notes, for fighting for Nigerians’ freedom.
She had said, “President Buhari should honour our 72-hour ultimatum and shut down the Nigerian High Commission, if not, no one should be held responsible when Nigerian protesters and angry Nigerians set Nigerian House on fire. If Buhari refuses to heed our advice, then, don’t blame us in any way.
“I ask the High Commission’s officials to resign, in the next 72 hours, because the Nigerian uprising commence, shortly. And if the Nigerian uprising stands, the Nigerian House in UK will need to be closed down,” she said.
According to her, while she had been working, relentlessly, to put a stop to the deportation of Nigerians and other citizens of the Commonwealth nations, officials of the Nigerian High Commission in the UK are adding to the plights of Nigerians in the country.
“I received a phone call from some distressed Nigerians already detained by British Immigration that a Nigerian lady called Mrs. Ngere, a Deputy Immigration Officer at Nigerian High Commission, came into British Immigration Detention Centre and told the Nigerians there to return to Nigeria.
“Unfortunately, she issued traveling document (TC) to British immigration to deport Nigerians, even after they (the Nigerians) protested against it. We believe Ngere could not have come there so boldly without the support of her boss (Chief Immigration Officer).
Our investigation confirmed that the British Government are not aware of this scandal, as names of these detained Nigerians to be deported are written on the UK Border Agency document showing every deported Nigerians were handed the sum of 3,000 pounds each, as this sum was always collected and seized by officials of Nigerian High Commission, while deported Nigerians are never allowed to remove their property nor given a dime,” Thomas alleged.
The Daily Times contacted the High Commission via its email portal and telephone number for reactions to the allegations, but there was not response as at press time