28 Nigerians Deported From The UK

The government of the United Kingdom (UK) yesterday deported about 28 Nigerians for breaching their immigration laws.

The deportees arrived in the country via the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMlA) Lagos at about 12.13pm on board a chartered Titanic Airways with registration number AWC-761/2.

Spokesman of the Lagos Airport Police Command, DSP Joseph Alabi, confirmed the deportation to Aviation Correspondents and said the deportees comprised 21 males and seven females.

On ground at the Lagos airport to receive the deportees were officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the Police and officials of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).

The deportees were profiled by immigration authorities and were each given a stipend to facilitate their transportation to their respective states.

By Louis Ibah 

Pressure Mounts As Conservatives Want Theresa May Removed As PM

Some leading members of the ruling Conservative Party in Britain want Theresa May removed as Prime Minister, the Sunday Times reports. 

According to the report, the cabinet members are tipping finance minister Philip Hammond to replace her and steer the country through the Brexit process.

May’s failure to win a parliamentary majority in a June 8 election has propelled Hammond back into the spotlight after being sidelined for months by her during the election campaign.

Citing some members of May’s top team, the Sunday Times said Hammond should be appointed as a caretaker prime minister to see the country through until 2019 when it officially leaves the European Union.

Brexit minister David Davis should be named as his deputy, the newspaper quoted sources as saying.

“I think Philip is the only plausible candidate for a couple of years, with DD (David Davis) running Brexit,” 

the paper quoted a serving minister as saying.

“He is a more credible caretaker than the current prime minister. The PM’s brand is so damaged it is painful. The calculation that people are beginning to make is that she is so inadequate we can’t wait two years with her in place”‎, it added.

A former cabinet colleague was quoted by the paper as saying that Hammond believed he could do the job.

It added that not all cabinet members were in agreement however, with some backing Davis and others favoring Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

By Chijioke Jannah

JUST IN: Massive Fire Engulfs 27-Story Block Of Flats In London

A massive fire has engulfed a 27-storey block of flats in London, with reports of people trapped in their homes.

According to The Guardian (UK), the inferno, which started in the early hours of Wednesday, has had more than 200 firefighters struggling to contain it.

Over 200 people are reported to be residents in the burning tower located on the Lancaster West Estate, north Kensington.

The Metropolitan Police said residents were being evacuated from the tower block. However a large number of people are yet to be accounted for.

An eyewitness said people were jumping from the burning building.

According to her, she woke when her son noticed fire outside the window. “We grabbed what we could – when we opened up the door we saw a lot of smoke.

“By the time she and her son escaped the building its entire left side was on fire ‘from top to bottom’ she said.

A witness told BBC radio “It’s just an inferno. I can hear people screaming, ‘Help me, help me,’ but the building is too big.”

As dawn broke, columns of thick black smoke continued to rise from the building and ash filled the air, as firefighters tackled the blaze from the ground.

By Chijioke Jannah

Report Says President Buhari Will Not Return Soon

President Muhammadu Buhari will not return to Nigeria from his medical leave in the UK anytime soon, according to Reuters Africa.

Presidency sources initially said their principal will return last Saturday, but that was not the case.

The report claims Buhari’s doctors have to carry out a test on him on Monday and the results will determine when he will return to Nigeria.

His wife, Aisha, travelled to the UK on May 30 to see the President, who has been out of the country since May 7 for further medical check-ups.

“My husband is recovering fast. And very soon, he will return to the country to resume his official duties,” she said on arrival.

Officials have refused to disclose details of his health condition.

By Ifreke Iyang