Anger and emotions ran riot among relations and friends as 48 Nigerian deportees, 44 males and four females, from UK arrived at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, Lagos Wednesday morning accompanied by UK immigration officers.
The number was fewer than earlier reports said they were 500 deportees and arrived at the airport around 8am by a charted aircraft.
They were said to have overstayed their visas in UK and went through immigration process at the NAHCO area before leaving the airport.
But their relations and friends were threatening fire and brimstone, saying Nigeria must also deport British nationals from this country in retaliation.
An airport source said the deportees’ complaints about maltreatment by the British authorities did not help matters as some said they were not even allowed to take their belongings before being deported.
It has been reported that the UK authorities plan to deport about 29,000 Nigerians.
But the Nigeria High Commission in London had on October 24, 2015, expressed worry over plans by the migration and removal policy of the UK government, to deport the Nigerians.
The acting Nigerian high commissioner in London, Olukunle Bamgbose, said, “We are insisting that due process must be followed before Nigerians are really removed from the UK to Nigeria.
“We have found our bounce and as diplomats here, we are going to engage our colleagues from other countries without necessarily being apologetic.”