Headline

Man Dies After Deportation From UK, Family Blames Home Office

Published

1 year ago

May 28, 2024

The UK Home Office has been faulted for the death of a Sri Lankan man identified as Sudharsan Ithayachandran after he was deported to his home country.

The 41-year-old, who admitted to the use of false documents and working illegally at a British multinational retailer -Tesco, was sent packing from the UK on December 24, 2019, leaving behind his deaf wife, Subatra; and his two children, aged eight and nine.

According to the UK Guardian on Monday, all three are British citizens. The said date of deportation, however, marked his wedding anniversary.

Ithayachandran was a member of the Tamil heritage in Sri Lanka.

The report noted that during an immigration tribunal ruling in November 2023, Judge Bonavero had accepted Ithayachandran’s appeal, noting that he was allowed by right to live with his family in the UK.

However, the Home Office was accused of delaying the process of issuing a return visa to the deceased for several months, causing him to live in perilous conditions, according to a report by the International Justice and Truth project, titled, “Disappearance, torture and sexual violence of Tamils 2015 – 2022.”

Before his death, a legal counsel from MTC Solicitors, Naga Kandiah began judicial review proceedings against the Home Office about the delay in return visa issuance.

However, on May 19, 2024, Ithayachandran was found collapsed at his accommodation in Sri Lanka and died after being taken to the hospital. His cause of death is thought to be sepsis, although no medical record of such was sighted by PUNCH Online in this report.

The family blamed the Home Office, saying Ithayachandran was left in deep depression at home, owing to his separation from his children, adding that he was not eating or looking after himself properly.

His mother-in-law, Yasadora Nagendra, 60, described him as “the pillar of the family.”

She said, “I don’t know how the family is ever going to get over this. When he was here, he looked after everybody. He was such a kind and supportive man. Nobody can replace him. I believe that if the Home Office had not deported him he would still be alive today. We blame them for his death.

“He was treated in a very unfair way by the Home Office. He was so depressed that even after he won his case last November, the Home Office delayed making arrangements for his return to the UK. He couldn’t understand why he still had to wait to come back to his family. “

Kandiah stated that “the tribunal accepted our client had a genuine and subsisting relationship with his children and to live without them would be ‘unduly harsh’. He had spent years battling with the Home Office to simply rejoin his family. He finally won his case but died before he could do this.”

On his part, Lou Calvey, the director of a charity organisation, Asylum Matters, noted, “Serious questions must be answered about this heartbreaking case. Why was Sudharsan deported when he had such clear rights to remain here? Why did the Home Office delay implementing the court ruling reversing the deportation, and why did he have to die alone without his family?”

An unnamed spokesperson from the Home Office said that “all deportation orders are considered on a case-by-case basis, based on the evidence provided.

“Once an appeal has been allowed against the refusal to revoke a deportation order, the responsibility of applying for entry clearance to the UK lies with the individual and their representatives.”

On May 21, 2024, a disabled Nigerian man, Anthony Olubunmi George, who had resided in the UK for 38 years, faced the prospect of being forcibly removed from the country by the Home Office.

In 2019, he experienced two strokes that had a significant impact on his ability to speak and move.

On May 21, 2024, a disabled Nigerian man, Anthony Olubunmi George, who had resided in the UK for 38 years, faced the prospect of being forcibly removed from the country by the Home Office.

In 2019, he experienced two strokes that had a significant impact on his ability to speak and move.

Headline

US, ‘Preparing For Action’ In Nigeria, Says Department Of War

Published

35 minutes ago

November 2, 2025

Editor

The United States has disclosed that it is “preparing for action” in Nigeria following reports of attacks on civilians in the country, particularly members of Christian communities.

U.S. President Donald Trump, in a Truth Social post on Saturday, ordered the Department of War to ready itself for “possible action”.

Trump noted that “If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians!”

He also warned that the U.S. would halt all aid to Nigeria and could deploy forces “guns-a-blazing” unless the Nigerian government acts swiftly to stop the violence.

“If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, ‘guns-a-blazing,’ to completely wipe out the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,” Trump wrote.

“I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet, just like the terrorist thugs attack our CHERISHED Christians! WARNING: THE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT BETTER MOVE FAST!”

Reacting to Trump’s post, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote on X on Sunday that the department is “preparing for action” to protect Christian civilians in Nigeria.

Hegseth said either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or the US will kill the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.

He stated, “Yes, sir. The killing of innocent Christians in Nigeria — and anywhere — must end immediately. The Department of War is preparing for action. Either the Nigerian Government protects Christians, or we will kill the Islamic terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities.”

The announcement follows Trump’s recent designation of Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998.

Trump wrote, “Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘COUNTRY OF PARTICULAR CONCERN’ — but that is the least of it.”

He added that “When Christians, or any such group, are slaughtered like is happening in Nigeria (3,100 versus 4,476 worldwide), something must be done! I am asking Congressman Riley Moore, together with Chairman Tom Cole and the House Appropriations Committee, to immediately look into this matter and report back to me.

“The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening in Nigeria, and numerous other countries. We stand ready, willing, and able to save our great Christian population around the world!”

Nigeria now joins the list of nations previously placed under the designation, including Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.

The development follows a series of violent attacks in parts of central Nigeria. Earlier this month, AFP reported that gunmen killed at least 14 people in two separate attacks in Plateau State, where clashes between herders and farmers, often divided along religious lines, remain common. Over 100 people were reportedly killed in similar attacks earlier this year.

“Land-use clashes between nomadic cattle herders, often members of the Muslim Fulani ethnic group, and farmers who are mainly Christian are common in central Nigeria,” the AFP report reads.

“The tensions escalated earlier this year after back-to-back massacres in Plateau State that saw more than 100 people killed, with state authorities claiming the killings were part of a ‘genocide’ that was ‘sponsored by terrorists’.”

However, the Federal Government has repeatedly dismissed Christian persecution allegations by some foreign officials, especially from the United States, and claims that Nigeria discriminates against any faith group.
The federal government, however, insists that the country remains a tolerant nation that guarantees freedom of religion for all citizens.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, described the claims, particularly by some United States officials, as misleading and not reflective of Nigeria’s security realities while speaking on CNN on Tuesday night.

According to the minister, some of the claims made by officials of the United States are based on faulty data and assumptions that the victims of the violence are largely Christians.

“Yes, there are Christians being attacked, but these criminals do not just target one religion. They target Christians and also target Muslims. We have seen that especially in the northern part of the country,” Idris clarified.

The minister warned that such narratives could inflame religious tensions, stressing that the government was committed to ensuring harmony and security for all Nigerians.

“Those promoting such claims are unwittingly playing into the hands of criminals whose ultimate objective is to incite conflict between Christians and Muslims,” he said.

Headline

Ex-US Mayor, Sultan Clash Over Alleged Christian Genocide

Published

24 hours ago

November 1, 2025

Editor

A former Mayor of Blanco City in Texas, United States of America, Mike Arnold, has called on the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Abubakar III, to provide evidence to clear himself of his alleged involvement in what he described as “jihad genocide” and widespread killings in the country.

But the Sultanate Council of Sokoto described Arnold’s statement as baseless and undeserving of a response, saying the Sultan would not dignify the accusations with a reply.

The row erupted after Arnold, the founder of Africa Arise International, published a string of social media posts accusing the Sultan of being complicit in mass killings and resource looting in parts of northern Nigeria.

The Sultan had earlier rejected claims that Christians were being subjected to genocide in the North, saying such allegations were false and divisive, and urged the people to verify social media reports.

The Sultanate Council later described the fresh attacks on the monarch’s reputation as baseless and said the Sultan would not dignify the claims with further response.

However, speaking with The PUNCH, Arnold said available data and incidents across the northern part of the country suggested that the Sultan, being the spiritual and temporal head of more than 108 million Muslims, could not be entirely detached from the violent acts occurring “under his nose.”

Arnold questioned what he called the Sultan’s “silence and inaction” amid the wave of violent attacks and mass killings in the North, particularly those targeting Christian communities.

He said, “The evidence points to there being an intelligent designer of this whole diabolical machine of jihad, genocide, conquest, displacement, and resource extraction. There are many provable data points, and I believe the points paint a picture that demands the Sultan be investigated for these things.

“I am not declaring him guilty, only a prime suspect based on all available evidence. The facts demand investigation and answers to either determine his guilt or clear him of it. Let’s hear his case.

“The Nigerian government estimates that at least $9bn a year in minerals are looted from his own hereditary lands. Why hasn’t he tried to stop this? He has powerful armed militias under his authority, does he not? So why aren’t the illicit miners being stopped? Who is getting that money?”

The former Mayor also alleged that the Sultan had done little to address the rise of militant Fulani groups accused of carrying out numerous attacks, noting that while he once issued a fatwa against Boko Haram after the group challenged his authority, no similar action had been taken against Fulani militants.

“There have been more than 7,000 Christians massacred this year in his territory. If his own statement that no killing happens without traditional rulers knowing about it is true, then he knows more than anybody else,” Arnold said.

However, the Sultanate Council of Sokoto, while reacting through its Secretary, Alhaji Saidu Maccido, said the Sultan would not dignify the accusations with a reply, noting that both the Federal Government and the Nigerian Senate had already addressed the matter.

Maccido reaffirmed the Sultanate Council’s commitment to peace, unity, and national stability, urging Nigerians to ignore divisive and inflammatory narratives.

“The Sultan will not bring himself down to respond to such allegations again. The Federal Government has responded to the allegations, and I even recall that the Nigerian Senate also passed a resolution on it. Responding again will only make them feel important.

“The Sultanate Council remains focused on promoting peaceful coexistence, mutual respect, and truth. We will not be distracted by baseless accusations,” he added.

Headline

Nicki Minaj Hails Trump For Designating Nigeria ‘Country Of Particular Concern’

Published

1 day ago

November 1, 2025

Editor

American rapper, Onika Maraj, popularly known as Nicki Minaj, has expressed gratitude following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to designate Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” over alleged religious persecution.

Trump, in a post shared on his Truth Social platform on Friday, claimed that Christianity was facing an “existential threat” in Nigeria, accusing radical Islamists of carrying out widespread killings of Christians.

“Christianity is facing an existential threat in Nigeria. Thousands of Christians are being killed. Radical Islamists are responsible for this mass slaughter. I am hereby making Nigeria a ‘country of particular concern,’” Trump wrote.

He added that the United States “cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening” and pledged that Washington would “stand ready, willing, and able to save our great Christian population around the world.”

Reacting to the move in a post on her X handle on Saturday, Minaj said the announcement made her feel deeply grateful for the freedom to worship in her own country.

She wrote, “Reading this made me feel a deep sense of gratitude. We live in a country where we can freely worship God. No group should ever be persecuted for practising their religion. We don’t have to share the same beliefs in order for us to respect each other.”

The rapper noted that several countries around the world are suffering from religious persecution and warned against ignoring such human rights violations.

She also wrote, “Numerous countries all around the world are being affected by this horror & it’s dangerous to pretend we don’t notice.

“Thank you to The President & his team for taking this seriously. God bless every persecuted Christian. Let’s remember to lift them up in prayer.”