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Asylum Seekers Placed In ‘Unsuitable’ Blackpool Hotel

Asylum seekers placed in ‘unsuitable’ Blackpool hotel despite council protests

Blackpool council has accused the Home Office and Serco of deliberately acting to frustrate the justice system after placing asylum seekers in a hotel, despite objections that the accommodation was wholly unsuitable.

About 140 people, mostly families, have moved into the Grand Metropole on Blackpool promenade. Blackpool council had said using the hotel for temporary accommodation required planning consent and it had been going to seek a court injunction on Monday in an attempt to stop the arrangement.

The seaside resort is particularly busy at present. The Blackpool Illuminations light show runs until 3 January and the town is also hosting the World Fireworks Championships near the hotel, likely to cause disruption and noise to the hotel’s vulnerable residents.

Blackpool is the latest council to express concern about the suitability of housing asylum seekers in hotels. Earlier this month, a report documented the deterioration in the mental and physical health of asylum seekers in Glasgow when housed in hotels.

Lynn Williams, the Labour leader of Blackpool council, said the local authority was promised it would be informed in advance of any arrivals, and that nobody would be placed in the hotel before Monday at the earliest. However, people were moved in overnight on Sunday and in the early hours of Monday morning, with more expected this week.

Williams said the council had received no official notification until Monday lunchtime, despite the assurances sought on behalf of local health leaders, who said services were facing unprecedented demand.

The council leader said she was “further disappointed” that the Home Office and Serco had made the move after being informed the council was seeking an injunction, with a court hearing scheduled for Monday. “I am saddened that they have acted in a way that smacks of a deliberate move to frustrate the justice system,” she said.

Williams urged Blackpool residents to show compassion and understanding to the “very vulnerable families and children who have arrived with us here in Blackpool”. She said the council would work to ensure that the “appropriate support” was in place for the families, and would be reviewing its legal position.

Serco and the Home Office have been criticised for placing asylum seekers in Britannia hotels in Wolverhampton and Wigan this month. Lisa Nandy, the town’s MP, said that the hotel, which has been targeted by a far-right group, had previously been deemed “completely unsuitable accommodation” for asylum seekers.

The leader of Wolverhampton council, Ian Brookfield, also accused Serco of lacking humanity, when 200 Afghan families were placed in the city without warning. “Some of them have arrived here in a terrible state, there’s people with no clothes, no nappies for the kids,” Brookfield said. “We know Serco are running this, but they could at least put a little bit of humanity into it. As a council, we are left out of the whole process.”

Serco was one of the three outsourcing firms awarded the contract to house asylum seekers in 2019, despite having been fined nearly £7m for previous failings. The firm, which has the contract for housing in the north-west, the Midlands and the east of England, said hotels were used only as a “last resort”.

“With the significant increases in the number of people arriving in the UK we have been faced with no alternative but to temporarily accommodate some asylum seekers in hotels”, said Jenni Halliday, Serco’s contract director for asylum accommodation services.

According to Home Office statistics, there were 31,115 asylum applications in the UK in the year ending June 2021, 4% fewer than the previous year. The government has promised to allow 20,000 Afghan refugees to settle in the UK, with 5,000 expected to arrive by the end of 2021.

The Home Office said that the “unprecedented demand” meant temporary accommodation such as hotels has had to be used “to manage demands on the asylum estate”. It said the Home Office had met local police, public health providers and officers from Blackpool council, and that all hotels used by the Home Office met health and safety legislation.

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Those found guilty of corruption should not enjoy pardon —AGF

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has stated that those found guilty of corruption should not be granted state pardons. He also advised law enforcement agencies to avoid shoddy investigations, urging them to have all necessary facts before summoning individuals for questioning.

The AGF made these remarks at a roundtable organized by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for state Attorneys-General in Abuja on Monday. “I will suggest in our next constitution review exercise that we expunge those found guilty of corruption from benefiting from powers of ‘Prerogative of Mercy’ to serve as a deterrent to others,” he said.

In a statement by Kamarudeen Ogundele, Special Assistant to the President on Communication and Publicity, Office of the AGF and Minister of Justice, Fagbemi emphasized the importance of cooperation from all stakeholders, particularly the Attorneys-General, in the fight against corruption. He urged them to avoid nepotism, political witch-hunting, rivalry, and bigotry in their efforts to fight corruption merely to please their governors.

The minister further stated that there should be no justification for rationalizing corruption or other crimes. He advised that legal opinions on cases should be based strictly on facts, as is the practice in advanced countries, adding, “We should not give in to public sentiments. In Nigeria, we are polarised along political lines.”

The AGF also urged participants and anti-graft agencies to conduct thorough investigations before arresting suspects to prevent unnecessary media trials. “Let us be thorough and take our time before inviting someone for questioning. Don’t do a shoddy job and be quick to say we have caught a big fish…You will catch a big fish. If it is two or three big fish you are able to get in a year and you are thorough, it is alright,” he stated.

Additionally, Fagbemi advised against filing exaggerated or bogus charges against defendants to create public frenzy. He said, “Nobody wants a 50-count charge…make it five or six and be sure. Make sure you get him (suspect) in.”

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Tinubu condoles with families of victims, Niger govt over traffic petrol tanker explosion

President Bola Tinubu has sent heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Niger State on the petrol tanker explosion on the Bida-Agaie-Lapai- road on Sunday in Niger State, which claimed the lives of 48 people and livestock.

According to the Niger Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), many people were injured in the accident, which also involved a truck loaded with cattle and passengers.

President Tinubu commiserated with the families of the dead and injured victims. He also sympathised with the owners of shops affected by the tragedy.

He prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

The President commended the federal and state emergency agencies for their swift response. He similarly commended the good-spirited Nigerians who mobilised to the incident scene to assist the victims.

He pledged continued support for efforts aimed at providing relief to those affected.

President Tinubu has directed relevant federal agencies in transportation and road infrastructure to redouble their efforts and work with state governments to enhance the safety and security of travellers and residents.

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Nigerian businessman Ogionwo charged for $300,000 scam in Oil deal

The Inspector General of Police, through legal officer S.O. Ayodele from the Federal Criminal Investigation Department, Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, Lagos, has filed a two-count charge of obtaining money by false pretenses and theft against Nigerian businessman Ebi Otisaye Ogionwo.

In the charges presented before the Federal High Court in Lagos, Ayodele alleges that in 2022, Ogionwo fraudulently obtained $300,000 from Mr. Oluwatosin Adefila of Beltzemo Nigeria Limited. The funds were purportedly meant to finance an oil trading business, but this representation was false.

The charges against Ogionwo are in violation of Section 1 (1) (c) and punishable under Section 1 (3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences Act 2006.

The two count charge as filed before the court

Count one:

That you, Ebi Otsaye Ogionwo “M” sometimes in 2022,in Lagos, within the Judicial Division of this Honorable Court, did by false pretence and with intent to defraud obtained the sum of Three Hundred Thousand Dollars (S300,000:00) from one Mr. Oluwatosin Adefila of Boltzemo Nigeria Limited under the guise of using the said funds for financing Oil Trading Business, a representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offer contrary to Section 1(1)(c) and punishable under section 1(3) of the Advance Fec,raud and other Related Offences Act 2006, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria.

Count two:

That you Ebi Otsaye Ogionwo “M” on the same date, time and place, and in the aforementioned Judicial Division of the Federal High Court, did steal the sum of Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000.00) from one Mr.Oluwatosin Adefila of Belztzemo Nigeria Limited and thereby committed an offence contrary to section 383 and punishable under section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code Act,Cap C 38,Laws of the Federation of Nigeria,2004.

Meanwhile, 14th of October, 2024 has been fixed for the arraignment of the defendant.