By Abimbola Ogunnaike
A physically-challenged Nigerian man, who has resided in the UK for 38 years, is facing the prospect of being forcibly deported from the country by the Home Office, the Guardian UK reports.
Anthony Olubunmi George, now 61 years old, arrived in the UK at the age of 24 back in 1986, from Nigeria.
Since then, he has remained in the UK and, according to the Guardian, has a clean record with no criminal convictions.
In 2019, he experienced two strokes that had a significant impact on his ability to speak and move.
According to George, he no longer has any immediate relatives residing in Nigeria.
He is said to have faced numerous episodes of homelessness and admitted that he has lost track of the countless friends who have sheltered him over the years.
“I don’t know how many different sofas I’ve slept on – too many to count. I don’t have my life, living the way I’m living now. My health problems since I had my stroke are my biggest worry. All I’m asking for is some kindness from the Home Office,” George said.
George has submitted multiple applications for leave to remain in the UK, all of which have been denied by the Home Office, with the most recent rejection occurring on May 7, 2024.
In 2005, his previous solicitors submitted a falsified entry stamp in his passport which has since been reported to the police and the legal regulatory bodies.
According to George, he was completely unaware of the passport stamp until several years later, as he revealed to the Guardian.
According to his current lawyer, Naga Kandiah of MTC Solicitors, George’s difficulties can be attributed to his poor past legal representation.
In their latest rejection, officials from the Home Office stated that the situation was not deemed to be an exceptional circumstance.
Kandiah has filed an appeal challenging the most recent denial.
Kandiah said, “My client has been living in limbo for 38 years, with no family, has suffered two strokes and has no family left in Nigeria.
“His situation is not just because of Home Office policies but also because of poor representation by previous solicitors who failed to uphold professional integrity and ethical standards.”
A spokesperson for the Home Office told the Guardian that, “applications have to be considered on their merits in accordance with the immigration rules with the responsibility on applicants to demonstrate they meet these rules.”
The Guardian also covered the story of Nelson Shardey, a 74-year-old newsagent from Merseyside.
Shardey has been living in the UK since 1977 and was recently denied indefinite leave to remain by the Home Office, despite having spent the majority of his adult life in the country.
