The United Kingdom Home Office has confirmed that the deportation case of Nigerian national Olajiire Shoyombo, convicted for drug trafficking, will be reconsidered by a lower tribunal.
Shoyombo was sentenced in 2023 to three years and four months in prison by Nottingham Crown Court for offences related to the supply of heroin and crack cocaine.
Despite his conviction, Shoyombo initially avoided deportation under the UK’s “private life” exception, which allows individuals with long-term residence in the country to remain. However, the BBC reported that the Home Office admitted to mistakenly acknowledging him as a lawful resident for most of his life.
Tribunal documents later revealed that Shoyombo had overstayed his visitor visa, arriving in the UK in 2005 and living unlawfully for over eight years before being granted limited leave to remain between 2014 and 2022—a total of approximately nine years of legal residence.
In his original appeal, Shoyombo argued that returning to Nigeria would subject him to **“very significant obstacles”**, justifying his stay in the UK.
Following the Home Office’s appeal, a spokesperson said:
“We are doing everything in our power to contest this case. Now that we have successfully appealed the initial decision, it will be reheard. We are taking immediate steps to uphold and enforce immigration laws.”
**Home Secretary Yvette Cooper** has since pledged to tighten deportation policies and offer clearer guidance to judges on interpreting human rights claims in immigration cases.
