Over 400 UK lecturers sign open letter protesting against deportation of Luqman Onikosi

Following protests by students this week and national news coverage, over 400 lecturers across the UK have signed an open letter urging Home secretary Theresa May to not deport Luqman Onikosi to Nigeria.

The letter of solidarity is following the protest organised by students of Sussex University last week.

The open letter, which addresses Theresa May, says: “Luqman has been a tireless contributor to the University of Sussex community, and the UK at large.

“He has proven himself an exceptionally intelligent and dedicated student, and the decision to  force him to leave the country is both cruel and inhumane.”

Luqman has Hepatitis B and relies upon NHS treatment. Deportation would be a ‘death sentence’ for him

Professor Luke Martell, who teaches Political Sociology at Sussex, is among the lecturers who signed the letter. According to Martell, the protest organised by Onikosi’s supporters was a good idea as it drew attention to a serious issue and had a big impact on the student’s case.

Luqman Onikosi is facing deportation to Nigeria after his application for leave to remain in the UK has been refused by the Home Office.The decision is a ‘death-sentence’ for Onikosi, who suffers from the severe liver condition Hepatitis B and relies on NHS medical treatment in the UK.

Sussex has also denied Onikosi his MA degree, despite him studying for both his undergraduate and postgraduate at the University.

These decisions by the university and the Home Office caused outrage among the student body, leading to protests which draw hundreds at a time. One of these protesters, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “We are all so happy about the momentum (the campaign) has gained. We started as a few people being angry on their friends behalf and now it has turned into a huge scale protest against the institutional racism that is going in this country.”

Coming under great pressure from students to react, the Sussex University press office have published a statement saying: “The University has around 2000 students and 90 members of staff who require a special visa in order to study and work in the UK, and it’s for this reason that we can’t comment any further on the Home Office, as we don’t wish to risk the visa status of these people.”

Fellow students and supporters of Onikosi will keep on campaigning and protesting for him to stay in the UK.