The Home Office has confirmed that a failed asylum seeker who was said to be near death after a hunger strike that has lasted nearly 100 days has been deported from Britain. Lawyers for Ifa Muaza, aged 45, from Nigeria say the Home Office has confirmed he was deported at 8am on Friday on a private jet. Muaza had been refusing food for more than three months in protest at his detention in Harmondsworth immigration removal centre, near Heathrow, and at the unfair treatment of his asylum claim. His removal went ahead despite attempts to obtain a last-minute injunction and a 120-strong vigil outside the Home Office. His solicitor, Toufique Hossain of the law firm Duncan Lewis, said the home secretary, Theresa May, had gone to great lengths to remove this seriously ill man from the UK. Hossain said: She didnt allow him an in-country right of appeal against his asylum refusal. At massive expense to taxpayers she hired a private charter plane to remove Mr Muaza to Nigeria today – no other returnee was on the plane. For the out-of-hours injunction she instructed Queens counsel to make submissions. The court was not willing to intervene at such a late stage. We do not know how Mr Muaza is, as we lost contact with him late last night. We fear for his safety now on return but we will be looking at pursuing further appeals if we do make contact with him in Nigeria. He should not have been removed from the UK. Home Office lawyers said at his latest detention review that Muaza had been declared fit to travel and plans were under way for his return. Lord Roberts, who intends to raise the case in parliament next week, said Muazas potential death on a flight or upon arrival in Nigeria was a tragedy and accused May of allowing people to die to score a political point. We urgently need to review the systems of immigration detention, fast track and enforced removal, he said. Muazas plight attracted widespread support including from the Liberal Democrat peer Lady Williams and Green MP Caroline Lucas.
Posted on: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 16:41:28 +0000
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