How UK Border Officials Caught Nigerian Couple Trying To Bring Baby Into The Country Illegally

UK Border officials arrested a Nigerian couple at Manchester Airport while trying to smuggle a baby into the country.

It was gathered that the incident happened in June 2023 after the boarder officials noticed something unusual about how the couple were interacting with the baby they brought with them.

According to a BBC report, the man, Raphael Ossai, claimed to be the baby’s father and showed a birth certificate listing his travel companion, Oluwakemi Olasanoye, as the child’s mother.

But when officers searched their luggage, they discovered a second birth certificate hidden in the lining. That one named Ossai’s British wife as the baby’s mother.

An investigation later revealed the baby girl, referred to as Lucy (not her real name), was born in a rural part of Nigeria in September 2022.

Her biological mother, who was very young at the time, placed her in an orphanage just days after birth.

Authorities say Ossai and Olasanoye illegally took the baby from Lagos to the UK, even though they were only approved to foster her in Nigeria—not adopt her or travel with her abroad.

DNA testing confirmed neither Ossai nor Olasanoye were biologically related to Lucy.

In court, Ossai explained that he and his British wife had been looking to adopt and took custody of Lucy when she was still an infant.

While the couple had some legal backing to foster Lucy, they didn’t have permission to take her out of the country.

Both Ossai and Olasanoye pleaded guilty to immigration offences and were sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Ossai and his wife later asked the court for permission to raise Lucy in the UK, arguing that she was like their own daughter.

His wife described Lucy as “the precious gift” she had always hoped for.

Ossai claimed the English courts had no right to intervene since Nigerian authorities had approved the foster arrangement.

However, High Court Judge Jonathan Cohen ruled against them, stating that their dishonesty and unauthorized actions had caused serious emotional harm to Lucy.

He said the baby needed stability and better prospects, which could only be achieved through adoption by another family.

Since arriving in the UK, Lucy has been placed in three different foster homes.

In April, a judge ordered that she be put up for adoption and that her name be officially changed to give her a fresh start.

The report also noted that the Nigerian High Commission had been largely silent on the matter, despite several efforts by the court to get them involved.

The Nigerian embassy reportedly declined to comment on the case.

Meanwhile, UK-based Nigerian doctor, Dr. Harvey Olufunmilayo, simply known as Dr Funmilayo, has been accused of sexual assault by his ex-girlfriend who is also a female doctor based in the United Kingdom.