We call on the Minister of State for Immigration, Caroline Noakes MP to use her discretionary powers to reinstate Explo Nani-Kofi’s indefinite leave to remain.

Our friend Explo has been resident in the UK for most of his adult life. He came to the UK in 1989 as a refugee from political persecution in his native Ghana. Since this time, he has made an outstanding contribution to the community on both a personal and social level and has formed a deep connection with the country. A leading figure in the Peace movement, Explo is currently editor of Another Africa is Possible.

Explo's indefinite leave to remain in the UK was cancelled on a technicality, as he was out of the country for just a few hours more than the two-year limit for absence; a delay caused by bank errors entirely out of his control.

The government should have learnt from the scandalous treatment of the Windrush generation that deportation on spurious technical grounds of those who have a right to be in this country is not acceptable. We call on the Minister to reverse the perverse and unreasonable decision of the Border Force and reinstate Explo’s indefinite leave to remain.

Background:

Having first arrived in the UK in 1989 as a refugee from political persecution in his native Ghana, Explo Nani-Kofi (Nathaniel Kofi Explo Nani) was granted indefinite leave to remain in 2007. The regime change in Ghana in 2010 made it possible for him to travel there and on 5th September 2016 he returned for an extended visit to support his family, following the deaths of his father and two brothers. He planned to return to the UK in August 2018, but technical difficulties beyond his control with the bank transfer to be used to fund his air ticket mean that he arrived in the UK in the morning of 6th September 2018, a few hours over the two-year limit for absence from the UK. The Border Force official therefore denied him entry. He has since been granted leave to remain for six months, i.e. until March 2019. Others have arrived far later than this but have been allowed in through residual discretion.