Nigerian jailed in UK for ‘demanding to be deported’ armed with knife

A Nigerian illegal immigrant in the United Kingdom, Oluwaleke Yisa, has been sentenced to prison for walking into a London immigration centre threatening to stab people with a “big kitchen knife” unless he was deported.

Yisa, 30, who was sentenced to eight weeks in prison by the Inner London Crown Court, Justice Donne, was told to contact the Nigerian Embassy while he is in prison, the Daily Mail newspaper reported, yesterday.

According to the report, Yisa committed the offence on August 20, after a verbal encounter with a female UK immigration officer.

An official was assessing his immigration status during an appointment at the Home Office’s Becket House, an immigration enforcement centre located at the Bermondsey, a district in South East London, when he got angry.

The name of the immigration officer was not mentioned in the report.

Yisa, who was homeless, told the police he had been living in a church and had been thrown out of the building.

Prosecution counsel, Nicholas Mesure, told the court Yisa became irritated and aggressive toward the female officer after he was asked standard questions and “made it quite clear he did not want to be in the United Kingdom any longer.”

“He left his bag behind as he went through security unsearched, nobody bothered to make sure the bag was searched, he went up to the counter and spoke to a member of staff.

“She asked him some of the standard questions, and he became very irritated and aggressive as the questions progressed,” Mesure said.

“He said he had the item to stab people, which was obviously of some concern. He told the police that he was homeless. He hasn’t been served deportation papers. I do not think immigration is treating him as a priority case,” the prosecution lawyer said.

According to the report, Yisa admitted being in possession of an offensive weapon.

Judge Donne said the court understood the circumstances under which Yisa committed offence, noting he never had intentions to harm anyone.

The judge said: “While I must punish you for possession of an offensive weapon, I entirely understand the circumstances in which you came to commit this offence.

“I do not really think you present a danger to anybody. This is an offence, which passes the custodial threshold. After release, you will remain under supervision for another year, unless you leave this country before then.

“That is clearly what you want and it is what this country should want for you as well,” the judge said.

“I hope you are successful in getting back to Nigeria. I strongly recommend you contact the Nigerian Embassy it will be able to assist you.”