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UPDATED: Teesside Varsity Stops Nigerian Students Programmes, Ordered To Leave UK

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

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Teesside University Nigerian students protested on campus on Tuesday morning. Photo: BBC

A group of Nigerian students have been thrown off university courses and ordered to leave the United Kingdom after they struggled to pay tuition fees on time, BBC reports.

The Teesside University students have said the devaluation of the naira has made it difficult for them to pay their tuition fees, leading to a breach of visa sponsorship requirements.

As a result, some students have been blocked from their studies, reported to the Home Office, and ordered to leave the UK.

The university claims it has no choice but to take this action, citing strict external regulations.

Affected students have expressed their distress and disappointment, feeling that the university is being “heartless” and not providing adequate support.

The group of 60 students, who chose to share their names with the BBC, banded together to urge the university to offer support after several of their peers faced severe consequences for defaulting on payments.

These students were abruptly locked out of their university accounts and forcibly withdrawn from their courses.

Adenike Ibrahim, a student who was close to graduating, had her visa revoked and was told to leave the country, despite having paid 90% of her tuition fees.

“I did default [on payments], but I’d already paid 90% of my tuition fees and I went to all of my classes,” she told BBC.

“I called them and asked to reach an agreement, but they do not care what happens to their students.

“It has been heartbreaking for my son especially, he has been in so much distress since I told him,” Ibrahim added.

Esther Obigwe, another affected student, has been struggling with depression due to the situation.

She claims she repeatedly tried to speak to the university about her financial struggles but received no response until she was blocked from her studies and received notice to leave the country.

Obigwe said, “I attended all of my classes and seminars, I’m a hell of an active student.

“It is disheartening, I am now on antidepressants and being here alone, I have nobody to talk to.

“For over two months, I’ve barely eaten or slept and I don’t understand why this is being meted at us, we didn’t do anything wrong.”

Jude Salubi, a student pursuing a degree in social work, was suddenly informed that his access to the university would be suspended and that he would be required to leave the country, despite being in the middle of a critical placement.

Salubi said he commuted from Teesside to Liverpool every weekend, working 18 hours to try to settle his outstanding fees

“As of now I have paid £14,000 and have a balance of £14,000.

“I am willing to come to an agreement as to how I will make this payment, but I need guarantees that I will be re-enrolled into school and my visa restored,” he said.

A university spokesman said, “Teesside University is proud to be a global institution with a diverse student population but is also very aware of its obligations regarding visa issuance and compliance.

“These strict external regulations ensure that the university fully supports a robust immigration system and is outside of the university’s control.”

The spokesman acknowledged that the university is aware of the financial struggles faced by some students and has proactively offered customised payment plans to those who have requested them.

“This option has been taken up by many of our international students; however, some students have still defaulted on these revised payment plans,” he said.

The Home Office clarified that the decision to grant or withdraw visa sponsorship lies with the sponsoring institution

In cases where a visa is shortened or cancelled, individuals are advised to either regularise their stay or make arrangements to depart the UK, a spokesman told BBC.

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Trump Birthright Citizenship Order Halted In Class-action Suit

Published

1 day ago

July 10, 2025

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A federal judge on Thursday halted President Donald Trump’s order restricting birthright citizenship, as opponents of the policy pursue a new legal avenue following the US Supreme Court’s overturning of a previous block.

The high court’s conservative majority delivered a landmark decision in late June that limits the ability of individual judges to issue nationwide injunctions against presidents’ policies.

Several such judges had in fact blocked Trump’s attempt to end the longstanding rule, guaranteed in the US Constitution, that anyone born on US soil is automatically an American citizen.

However, the Supreme Court left open the possibility that orders could be blocked via broad class-action suits against the government.

Trump’s opponents quickly filed new class-action suits seeking to block again the executive order.

On Thursday, Judge Joseph Laplante of the US District of New Hampshire granted class-action status to any child who would potentially be denied citizenship under Trump’s order. The judge ordered a preliminary halt to it as legal proceedings carry on.

The judge delayed his ruling for seven days to permit the Trump administration to appeal.

Cody Wofsy, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) who argued the case, called the ruling a “huge victory” that “will help protect the citizenship of all children born in the United States, as the Constitution intended.”

Trump’s executive order decrees that children born to parents in the United States illegally or on temporary visas would not automatically become citizens — a radical reinterpretation of the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution.

His administration has argued that the 14th Amendment, passed in the wake of the Civil War, addresses the rights of former slaves and not the children of undocumented migrants or temporary US visitors.

The Supreme Court rejected such a narrow definition in a landmark 1898 case.

The current high court, with a 6-3 conservative majority, avoided ruling last month on the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order and only addressed the issue of nationwide injunctions.

It nonetheless permitted the order to go ahead but delayed its ruling from taking effect until late July to allow for new court challenges.

Several lower courts, in issuing their previous injunctions, had ruled that the executive order violated the Constitution.

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PICTORIAL: Two Undocumented Nigerians Arrested For Drug Trafficking In Libya

Published

1 day ago

July 10, 2025

Editor

Libya’s Counter-Terrorism Forces have arrested two undocumented Nigerians over alleged involvement in drug trafficking.

According to a statement shared by Migrant Rescue Watch on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, the suspects were caught with quantities of hashish and hallucinogenic pills, including Tramadol and Lyrica.

Authorities also recovered a large sum of cash suspected to be proceeds from drug sales during the operation.

Following their arrest, the two Nigerians have been handed over to the appropriate legal authorities for further investigation and possible prosecution.

The statement said, “Counter-Terrorism Forces arrested 2 undocumented #migrants of Nigerian nationality for drug trafficking. The individuals were found in possession of hashish, hallucinogenic pills “Tramadol” & “Lyrica” as well as cash from proceeds.

“Both individuals were referred to competent authorities for legal action.”

Headline

31 Workers Escape Death As Tunnel Collapses In Los Angeles

Published

2 days ago

July 10, 2025

Editor

All 31 workers escaped without injuries from a collapsed industrial tunnel in Los Angeles’ Wilmington area, after scrambling over a tall pile of loose underground soil, city officials said late on Wednesday.

The trapped workers were shuttled back to the tunnel’s entry point, more than 5 miles (8 km) away from the affected area, after they escaped the collapsed section and met several coworkers in the unaffected part of the tunnel, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in a statement.

The tunnel, which had a diameter of 18 ft (5.5 m), trapped 27 individuals, while four workers entered the damaged section to assist with rescue, LA Fire Chief Ronnie Villanueva told reporters in a media briefing.

“The workers had to climb through debris. They had to make themselves out through,” before they were assisted out, Villanueva said.

Robert Ferrante, chief engineer and general manager of Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts, told the briefing that a section of the already built part of the tunnel experienced squeezing ground conditions and partially collapsed.

“LAFD has just reported that all workers who were trapped in the tunnel in Wilmington are now out and accounted for. I just spoke with many of the workers who were trapped. Thank you to all of our brave first responders who acted immediately,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a post on X.

The collapsed section was a part of the Los Angeles County’s Clearwater Project, where the new 7-mile tunnel is being built to upgrade the region’s sewer system, officials added.

(Reuters)