{"id":5399,"date":"2019-03-10T21:45:27","date_gmt":"2019-03-10T21:45:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/ng\/?p=5399"},"modified":"2019-03-10T21:45:27","modified_gmt":"2019-03-10T21:45:27","slug":"seeking-justice-nigerian-man-hilary-ineomo-marcus-faces-deportation-from-britain-after-over-20-years-stay-arrived-united-kingdom-at-the-of-age-of-10-and-lived-in-london-ever-since-granted-leave","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/seeking-justice-nigerian-man-hilary-ineomo-marcus-faces-deportation-from-britain-after-over-20-years-stay-arrived-united-kingdom-at-the-of-age-of-10-and-lived-in-london-ever-since-granted-leave\/","title":{"rendered":"SEEKING JUSTICE: Nigerian Man HILARY INEOMO-MARCUS faces deportation from Britain after over 20 years stay …Arrived United Kingdom at the of age of 10 and lived in London ever since, granted leave to remain in the early 2000s *earlier worked as a presenter on National Prison Radio, where he was commended as being the best prisoner-producer, remain primary carer for two under-age sons * ‘I have no tie to Nigeria. The prospect that they could walk in and grab me and put me on a plane before I can say goodbye to anyone \u2013 not even my children \u2013 terrifies me. I’m a product of British Education and Culture’-INEOMO-MARCUS *’We revoked Mr. Ineono-Marcus status after he served a 15-month prison sentence in 2013 for a tax offence’-British Immigration BY CHIOMA IDIKA\/LONDON Correspondent"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

SEEKING\nJUSTICE:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nigerian\nMan HILARY INEOMO-MARCUS faces deportation from Britain after over 20\nyears stay <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

…Arrived\nUnited Kingdom at the of age of 10 and lived in London ever since,\ngranted leave to remain in the early 2000s<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*earlier\n worked as a presenter on National Prison Radio, where he was\ncommended as being the best prisoner-producer, remain primary carer\nfor two under-age sons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*\n‘I have no tie to Nigeria. The prospect that\nthey could walk in and grab me and put me on a plane before I can say\ngoodbye to anyone \u2013 not even my children \u2013 terrifies me. I’m a\nproduct of British Education and Culture’-INEOMO-MARCUS\n <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n*<\/strong>‘We\nrevoked Mr. Ineono-Marcus status after he served a 15-month prison\nsentence in 2013 for a tax offence’-British Immigration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

BY\nCHIOMA IDIKA\/LONDON Correspondent <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nA -35 YEAR OLD\nNIGERIAN MAN,<\/strong>\n HILARY INEOMO-MARCUS who had\nlived his entire life in United Kingdom (UK) since the age of 10 and\nmarried in the Queen’s enclave is presently facing deportation in the\nhands of British Homes office due to Immigration report on this\nharassed Nigerian resident status. <\/strong>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ineomo-Marcus,\na former prisoner turned advocate for penal reform who has two\nBritish children is facing imminent removal from the UK in what\ncampaigners have said highlights the government\u2019s \u201crobotic\napproach to detention and deportation\u201d\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\nhas lived in London ever since, was granted leave to remain in the\nearly 2000s. But immigration officials revoked his status after he\nserved a 15-month prison sentence in 2013 for a tax offence.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During\nhis time in prison, the Nigerian national worked as a presenter on\nNational Prison Radio, where he was commended as being the \u201cbest\nprisoner-producer\u201d to have worked on the station. Since his\nrelease, he has presented a number of programmes about prison and\nrehabilitation on national radio and volunteered for charities that\nseek to deter young people from offending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nAlongside\nhis voluntary work, the Nigerian is the primary carer for his two\nsons, aged four and two, while his wife Stacey, who he married five\nyears ago, works in the civil service. Ineomo-Marcus was served a\ndeportation notice on Monday while signing on with the Home Office.\nHe was given no forewarning and had to wait at the reporting centre\nfor three hours with his baby son before his wife was called and told\nto collect her child so Mr Ineomo-Marcus could be taken to a removal\ncentre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking\nfrom Harmondsworth detention centre on Thursday, Mr Ineomo-Marcus\nsaid the idea of being flown back to Nigeria was \u201cterrifying\u201d,\nadding: \u201cThis is a country that I have no ties to \u2013 and the Home\nOffice hasn\u2019t objected to this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cI\u2019m\nnot able to sleep because this is hanging over me. The prospect that\nthey could walk in and grab me and put me on a plane before I can say\ngoodbye to anyone \u2013 not even my children \u2013 terrifies me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cI\nam a product of British education and British culture. I\u2019ve played\nin football teams, made friends, built networks within the community.\nI am quintessentially, de-facto British \u2013 apart from the fact that\nI just don\u2019t have a little red book for a passport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr\nIneomo-Marcus described the crime he committed in 2013 as a \u201clapse\nof judgement\u201d, saying he had invested \u00a34,500 into a business set\nup his cousin, which \u2013 unbeknownst to him \u2013 was claiming back\ntaxes it was not entitled to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cA\ncrime is a crime \u2013 I am in no way trying to justify it. I did my\ntime. But this is a form of double punishment. Prison did what it is\nsupposed to do,\u201d he continued. \u201cI haven\u2019t reoffended, I\u2019ve\ngiven back to society. The probation service itself has assessed me\nas being low-risk of re-offending.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nPhil\nMaguire, chief executive of the Prison Radio Association, where Mr\nIneomo-Marcus worked during his time in HMP Brixton, described the\n34-year-old as a \u201cgifted and thoughtful communicator\u201d who had\n\u201cpositively influenced the lives of many thousands of prisoners\u201d\nthrough his work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cThe\nquality of Hilary\u2019s work was quite remarkable, as was his work\nethic. Hilary proved to be the very best prisoner-producer we have\never had the pleasure of working alongside,\u201d Mr Maguire added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bella\nSankey, director of charity Detention Action, said Mr Ineomo-Marcus\u2019s\ncase highlighted \u201call that is wrong with the Home Office\u2019s\nrobotic approach to detention and deportation\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nShe\nadded: \u201cHe\u2019s been here since childhood, has repaid his debt to\nsociety and is by any measure \u2018more British than foreign\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cDetaining\nand deporting him to a country that is not his home is manifestly\nunjust \u2013 it\u2019s time for discretion, common sense and compassion to\nbe reintroduced to our system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nMr\nIneomo-Marcus\u2019s wife Stacey, who has had to take time off work\nsince Monday in order to care for her children in her husband\u2019s\nabsence, said the situation was \u201cextremely draining\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe\n31-year-old continued: \u201cThe kids are coming home and looking for\ndaddy\u2019s shoes. I say daddy\u2019s going to come back. He\u2019s just gone\nto do something. No one seems to care that he has children he needs\nto look after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cIt\u2019s\nas though the government wants me to be a single parent and on\nbenefits. I won\u2019t be able to cope if he goes. I won\u2019t be able to\nwork. He does everything with the children \u2013 takes them to the\nlibrary, does activates with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cHe\nhas worked all his life and he\u2019s made one mistake. They\u2019ve\npunished him for it once and they\u2019re punishing him again.\nBritish-born people who have done much worse than him are able to\nlive their life with their family after they\u2019ve done their time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cHe\nhas no home in Nigeria \u2013 where do they expect him to go?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nSpeaking\nabout the prospect of his removal, Mr Ineomo-Marcus said he feared\nfor the future of his children being left in a fatherless household.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cThey\nare used to waking up in the morning. I take them swimming every\nSaturday. I pick the eldest up from school and they\u2019re with me\nuntil mummy gets home. I put them to bed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cMy\nwife is going to have to stop working because it would be impossible\nto make any alternative childcare arrangements. Why should she have\nto do this when I am well and alive?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s\na massive crisis in our society right now where young boys are\nstabbing each other. A lot of them are young black boys from\ndisadvantaged backgrounds. And when I\u2019ve had conversations with\nyoung offenders in prisons there is a common theme and that is an\nabsence of a father figure in their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\u201cThat\nis worrying for me, because these boys are potentially my sons. That\nscares me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nThe\nHome Office said they did not comment on individual cases, but said:\n\u201cForeign nationals who abuse our hospitality by committing crimes\nin the UK should be in no doubt of our determination to deport them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SEEKING JUSTICE: Nigerian Man HILARY INEOMO-MARCUS faces deportation from Britain after over 20 years stay …Arrived United Kingdom at the of age of 10 and lived in London ever since, granted leave to remain in the early 2000s *earlier worked as a presenter on National Prison Radio, where he was commended as being the best […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-law"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5399\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nigeriastandardnewspaper.com\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}