In The Press

A gay asylum seeker came to the UK to avoid persecution in his home country Nigeria. Nigeria is one of many places where an increasing number of gay asylum seekers are fleeing to claim international protection in the UK. Mr Raji was discovered by his ex-wife and she notified the authorities. He suffered attacks from non-state actors including numerous written and verbal threats against his life. Despite this his claim has been rejected by the UK Home Office and he has spent 6 months in an immigration removal centre pending his removal. After the First Tier Immigration Tribunal rejected his application he was placed on bail and he has applied to appeal their decision. Bhaveshri Patel-Chandegra, an immigration solicitor at Duncan Lewis, said: “The court has looked at his case and nullified all his evidence that he is at serious risk if removed to Nigeria but there’s been no evidence that his documents aren’t genuine.” Mr Raji has evidence of the threats on his life but because the perpetrators are considered non-state actors the Home Office have denied that he would be at risk of harm were he to return. The application to appeal this decision has since been refused.