Media Team
After nearly four decades of uncertainty, Anthony Olubunmi George, a 63-year-old disabled Nigerian man, has successfully overturned his deportation order in the UK.
George, who arrived in the UK in 1986 at age 24, has spent his entire adult life in Britain without any criminal record. His legal battle ended in victory when an immigration tribunal ruled in his favor against the Home Office’s deportation efforts.
In 2019, George suffered two debilitating strokes that impaired his speech and mobility, as reported by The Guardian UK on September 22, 2025. His health struggles compounded years of instability, including homelessness and reliance on friends for shelter.
“I’ve lost track of how many couches I’ve slept on,” George admitted, reflecting on his transient living situation. With no immediate family remaining in Nigeria, he faced the prospect of returning to a country he hadn’t visited in 40 years.
Previous legal representation complicated his case when solicitors submitted fraudulent passport documentation in 2005—an act George claims he only discovered years later. These legal missteps were cited by his current attorney, Naga Kandiah of MTC Solicitors, as central to his prolonged immigration struggles.
The Home Office’s rejection notice had coldly suggested his “family and friends could visit [him] in Nigeria,” ignoring his complete lack of ties to his birth country.
In his ruling, the tribunal judge noted George’s avoidance of medical care due to immigration fears, stating: “It’s unfortunate the appellant suffered two cardiovascular attacks after avoiding health checks.” The judgment also acknowledged George’s periods of destitution in the UK.
Kandiah emphasized the systemic failures in George’s case: “Forty years in legal limbo, health crises, and severed roots in Nigeria—this tragedy stems from both bureaucratic inflexibility and professional misconduct by prior legal representatives.”
George’s emotional response to the verdict captured his relief: “My life is restarting today. Where there was no hope, now there’s a future.”
The landmark decision highlights ongoing tensions between immigration enforcement and humanitarian considerations in long-term residency cases.
