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Nigerian suicide girl wins bid to stay in Britain
Felix Allen23 Oct 2009
A 10-year-old Nigerian girl who tried to kill herself three days after being put in a detention centre for the second time has won an injunction against removal from the UK with her family.
Adeoti Ogunsola was taken from the care of her aunt to Tinsley House immigration removal centre at Gatwick on 15 October. She was reunited at the airport with her mother Clementina, but tried to take her own life on Sunday while her mother slept.
The girl, who had attended a primary school in Gillingham, Kent, was detained in Yarl's Wood immigration centre in Bedfordshire earlier this year before being released.
In a report, a child psychotherapist warned that her mental state would deteriorate if she was detained again and she might attempt to kill herself.
A High Court judge yesterday stopped the family's removal to Nigeria after an 11th-hour legal challenge overturned the repatriation plans. It is understood the pair have been placed back in detention and a judicial review is expected on Wednesday.
Among those lobbying against the family's removal was Bernadette Long, headteacher of Adeoti's school, St Mary's Catholic Primary. She said: "Adeoti is a charming, friendly and intelligent little girl. She is passionate about her education and hopes to become a doctor. Her recent experiences while being detained have impacted on her and she has become very anxious about what will happen if she goes to Nigeria."
David Wood, from the UK Border Agency, said: "When the independent courts find a family has no need for protection we expect them to return home. If they refuse to leave we have no choice but to enforce their removal and this can include detaining children, but only as a very last resort."
Reader views (9)
Gift, Liverpool - maybe you see nothing wrong with giving it all away, but others have a right to an opposing point of view.
The girl, in the custody of her parents "attempts suicide" and now the parents are getting what they wanted in the first place? You don't think people see this as 'convenient'? You don't think there'll be more of the same?
Children ALWAYS have to lose friends when their parents decide or are required to move for whatever reason. It doesn't work the other way around. The fact that they are not entitled to be in the country in the first place is a clue as to why they were 'unwanted'. Britain, nor any other country in the west, aren't responsible for the mismanagement of the still huge resources in the African nations. That is their own people (who want nothing to do with outsiders). They need to sort their own country out.
There IS NO colonial debt owed today. There is no cloud nine that everyone can float along on. 'Wishy-washy' thinking needs to have the plug pulled so it can go down the drain where it belongs. End of story.
- Rogan, Irving, 26/10/2009 04:52
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Jack! who are the unwanted people? are there people Britain have declared unwanted? please let us know. I don't think any sensible person should make a statement like that in this matter, humanity is not throwing a few penny into some charity account and feeling good with your self.
It is acting right when and where necessary to give all humans the hope and the will to continue to exist. Does the plight of that little girl not bother you Jack? Will you have your 10year old daughter or sister incarcerated because she doesn't want to be cut off from her friends she grew up with?.
Where is our conscience?. Britain once open their doors to Nigerians when the going was good, when they were sapping and tapping to build Britain without any intention to develope their colonies, Jack, go and find out from your father, the British only left Nigeria in the mid 60s,
Nigerian taxes was coming to westminster and from there they developed and planned this country and so was other African colonies but what was done for these colonies, Nothing! Absolutely Nothing! the wealth you are enjoying today 'Jack' the so call unwanted people also contributed to it. Put your thinking cap on. 'The evil that men do live after them.
If our fathers in this country once bought and sold human beings and were proud about it, don't you think a lot would have happened to supress their exploits, the consequence of those exploits (poverty in Africa) is coming to light today and we have to deal with honestly
- Gift, Liverpool, 23/10/2009 14:37
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@ Folfem, Geneva, Suisse
Neutral Switzerland who hides all the Nazis gold shouts up!
Actually if you hadn't noticed these countries have been autonomous for sometime now and resent interference from ex-colonies. Nigeria happens to have plenty of resources principally oil. The problem with these countries is very poor governance. Corruption is absolutely endemic in Africa.
It also seems that these countries enjoy being 'raped', because where the old colonies left of the Chinese are right in there doing exactly the samething today. The Chinese are handing over billions to the governments with no strings attached in return for their resources.
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 23/10/2009 12:50
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Folfem, do you think that the governments and people that have come since the end of colonisation have bear no responsibility for the situation as it is today in their post colonial societies? Or is it a case of big bad white western people and poor helpless african black people? Isn't that in itself a little black and white, a little simplistic and perhaps racist? If one nevers bother to find out the complete picture of a problem and its underlying causes then one can never really implement the required solution to solve the problem.
- Mikki, London, 23/10/2009 12:45
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So easy to shout now...when the West have finished "raping" these countries and left them empty, please accept what comes out of it like a man...U created the in-balance in the world through colonisation and neocolonialism, it does have a baggage that comes with it. This is one of them.....just accept it
- Folfem, Geneva, Suisse, 23/10/2009 11:11
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EDITED by admin @ 16.45 on October 23 2009
Breach of community guidelines
- Frank, Home Counties, England., 23/10/2009 10:11
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So a child threatens to kill itself and the family gets the right to stay - so much for our deportation process.
No doubt many more will try this threat, y suggestion ok lets see if you mean it and deport the remainder.
We cannot afford the luxury of being the worlds dustbin for unwanted people.
- Jack, Essex, 23/10/2009 09:30
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I don't understand, the article mentions nothing about why the mother and her daughter were here in the first place? Were they seeking asylum and it was refused? If so, on what grounds? Were they on holiday and decided to overstay? Or had they come here with the full intention of settling here and not declaring themselves to the authorities ? You can't make an unbiased decision without knowing the full facts of the matter.
- Bob, Cheam, 23/10/2009 09:29
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They just keep comming!!
- Steve, London, 23/10/2009 09:28
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