Headline

Fraudulent Visa: Nigerian Family Faces Deportation From Canada Over Fake Admission Letter

Published

10 months ago

August 3, 2024

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has asked Nigerian student, Lola Akinlade to leave the country over a fake acceptance letter she used to obtain a study visa and work permit.

Akinlade, who graduated with a diploma in Social Services from Nova Scotia Community College in 2019, shared her bitter experience with CBC News on Thursday.

According to her, she was unaware that the acceptance letter provided by an agent for the University of Regina in 2016 was fake until she was contacted by the IRCC a few weeks before her graduation from her new institution.

The mother of two noted that while receiving her diploma, she felt both happiness and worry upon realising that she had allegedly relied on a fraudulent document to secure her study permit, adding, “I was devastated. That was the beginning of my trauma.”

Lola Akinlade. Source: CBC News
In an interview with the Canadian news platform, she said, “When the IRCC contacted me, I requested them to re-examine my case, arguing that I was a victim of a ‘rogue agent’ who supplied me with a fake acceptance letter to the Canadian school.

“Please review my file. I just want this to be resolved.”

Akinlade stated that the process of moving to travel to and study in Canada started in 2015 while she was working as a medical sales representative at a pharmaceutical company in Lagos, with a business administration degree from a Nigerian university.

She recounted meeting a man at her office who claimed to be an immigration consultant and offered to guide her through the process of becoming an international student by applying for a master’s degree in business administration.

Akinlade explained that she did not specify a particular university to the agent, only stating that she wanted to study at a reputable Canadian institution.

She described how she provided the agent with documents such as her passport and university transcripts, along with payment. Several months later, he provided her with a study permit for Canada, plane tickets, and an acceptance letter from the University of Regina.

“I flew to Canada in late December 2016, expecting to start classes in January 2017. However, I was stopped in Winnipeg en route to Regina when I received a call from the agent, who told me there were no spaces available at the university and that I would have to go on a waitlist.

Upon arriving in Canada, she began searching independently for a new school and programme and stayed with relatives in Winnipeg until she was accepted at Nova Scotia Community College for social services, starting in September 2017.

She said she chose social services because it better aligned with her previous work in the medical field.

Akinlade stated that she did not contact the University of Regina directly until two years later, when she received a letter from the IRCC informing her that the acceptance letter was fake.

“I was sceptical after receiving the IRCC letter, thinking it might be a misunderstanding or something,” she said. “So, I immediately contacted the University of Regina.

“And that was when I learned the truth,” she added.

Meanwhile, when CBC contacted the agent, Babatunde Isiaq Adegoke, he confirmed providing Akinlade with the acceptance letter but said it was supplied by a company located in Ejigbo, Lagos State, called Success Academy Education Consult, which he had hired.

CBC exchanged text messages with Adegoke, who stated that he guided Akinlade through the process of applying to enter Canada. However, he denied telling Akinlade that she would have to go on a waitlist at the University of Regina.

Akinlade lost her study permit in Canada due to a fake letter and was denied when she attempted to apply for a postgraduate work permit and a temporary resident permit.

In March 2023, an IRCC officer wrote to Akinlade, stating that the department believed she knew the document was fake “on the balance of probabilities.”

Her husband, Samson Akinlade, and their eight-year-old Nigerian-born son, David, joined her in Nova Scotia in 2018 but have now lost their temporary resident status. Their younger son, born in Canada in 2021, has Canadian citizenship but lacks medical coverage due to his parents’ status.

“We’ve been surviving on our savings, and I don’t know how long we can continue doing that,” she said. “It’s really, really hard,” she added.

Headline

Nigerian Grandmother Sacked By UK Varsity Over Misplaced Bracelet

Published

7 hours ago

June 6, 2025

Editor

A 71-year-old Nigerian grandmother, Janet Olufunke Damiro, has been dismissed from her cleaning job at the London School of Economics after being accused of stealing a bracelet.

British tabloid newspaper, Metro UK, exclusively reports on Thursday that Damiro, who moved to the United Kingdom from Nigeria in 1971 and had worked at LSE for 13 years, said she simply forgot the gold bracelet in her purse after finding it during her shift and intending to hand it in later.

She returned it three days later when questioned by management, but was still suspended and eventually dismissed in April for gross misconduct.

Damiro said, “I can’t sleep. I have never had a bad record or been to HR before in my life.

“LSE have treated me really badly. It was my only job, and I loved working there. I never expected to be suspended or dismissed.

“I did not steal this thing. If I see any items, I always hand them over.

“This is the first time in my life I have had a problem like this since I came to this country. It is really bugging me.”

Metro reports that more than 70 of her colleagues, including three supervisors, have written to LSE management in her defence, insisting on her honesty and professionalism.

“Janet has always conducted herself with integrity and consistently demonstrated a strong work ethic,” their letter read.

Her trade union, United Voices of the World, in a post on its website last month, appealed the dismissal and criticised the university’s handling of the situation.

Speaking with UVW, Damiro said, “I don’t steal. I’m not a thief. I’ve worked at LSE for over 10 years without any problems. I just forgot. At my age, you can forget like that.

“They look at me like I’m a thief. It’s unfair. I’ve not been myself at all, I don’t sleep at night. I don’t have a job now, but I have to pay my rent and bills. Who’s going to employ me at this age?”

According to Metro, the university has declined to comment publicly, citing the ongoing nature of the case.

Meanwhile, LSE students have launched a petition calling for her reinstatement, describing the punishment as “deeply disturbing” for what they believe was a “minor mistake.”

An appeal hearing initially scheduled for May 22 was adjourned, and a new date has been set for later in June.

Headline

Family Kicks As UK Varsity Sacks Nigerian Grandmother

Published

7 hours ago

June 6, 2025

Editor

The family of Janet Damiro, a 71-year-old cleaner recently dismissed from the London School of Economics, has responded to widespread reports surrounding the incident, describing the online and media narratives as misleading and lacking critical context.

The victim’s daughter, Aina Damiro, in a statement made available to The PUNCH on Friday, clarified the events that led to her mother’s dismissal, stating that the situation has been “blown out of proportion.”

According to her, the incident occurred in February during the final minutes of Janet’s morning shift when she found a bracelet on the floor.

She reportedly picked it up with the intention of handing it in but inadvertently forgot.

She said that the bracelet was left untouched in her coin wallet, which remained in her locker at the university.

“When approached about the bracelet a few days later, she was honest and cooperative.

“She retrieved it immediately and explained what had happened. There was no denial or attempt to hide it,” she said.

The family insists this was a case of forgetfulness rather than theft or misconduct, stressing that Janet had served the institution faithfully for years.

They argued that the university’s decision to terminate her employment was a disproportionate response lacking empathy, especially for an older worker nearing retirement.

The family said, “To see her name and image used to suggest wrongdoing is not only unfair but deeply hurtful.

“This was an innocent mistake that has been misrepresented in a way that raises questions about how older workers, particularly women of colour in lower-paid roles, are treated.”

The family stated that Janet granted the interview to the Metro UK in good faith, hoping to raise awareness, not to be vilified.

“We hope the public and media will reconsider how they are framing this story,” the family added, urging institutions to reflect on their duty to support vulnerable and long-serving members of staff.

The London School of Economics has not issued a formal response as of press time.

The case has since sparked conversation online under hashtags such as #JusticeForJanet and #RespectElderWorkers.

Headline

Myanmar Arrests Six-year-old Girl, 15 Others Over Ex-general’s Death

Published

7 hours ago

June 6, 2025

Editor

Myanmar authorities have arrested 16 people including a six-year-old girl over the assassination of a retired general shot dead in Yangon last month, state media said.

A former ambassador to Cambodia, Cho Tun Aung, was gunned down outside his home on May 22 in an attack claimed by an anti-junta group calling itself the “Golden Valley Warriors”.

Myanmar’s military seized power in a 2021 coup, plunging the country into a complex, multi-sided civil war involving pro-democracy guerrillas and resurgent ethnic minority armed groups.

Most fighting is confined to the countryside and smaller towns but grenade and gun attacks on junta-linked targets are regularly reported in Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city and commercial hub.

The Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said 16 members of the Golden Valley Warriors — 13 men and three females — had been arrested in various locations.

Those held include the wife and six-year-old daughter of the suspected shooter, identified as Myo Ko Ko, the state-run newspaper said, without explaining what the girl is accused of.

The report said Myo Ko Ko and another suspect rode to the general’s home on bicycles and shot him before fleeing to a safe house.

The junta has suffered significant territorial setbacks in recent months but analysts say it is far from defeat, with a powerful air force supplied with Russian jets and military backing from China.

AFP