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EU citizens face losing benefits if they fail to update DWP profile

EU citizens on benefits could lose their universal credit in three weeks’ time unless they evidence their right to be in the UK, charity workers have warned.

The Work Rights Centre (WRC) says it has been told by staff at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that EU and European Economic Area nationals must upload a special Home Office code to prove they have the right to reside in the UK before the end of the month.

If they do not update the online DWP profile with this “share code” they could fall off the system, says WRC. Other charities have expressed similar fears.

WRC has raised concerns that many on benefits including children’s allowance could simply lose out because they did not know they had to update their profile or “journey” on the DWP universal credit website.

“Frankly, this is mass disentitlement waiting to happen,” the charity’s director, Olivia Vicol, said. “Many charities, including ours, warned that a digital-only immigration status wouldn’t remove the pressure of having to prove your rights.”

She says she was informed of the cut-off date by customer service agents who appeared to be “reading from a script” when she sought clarification over a letter that went to claimants from the Home Office advising them they needed to apply for the EU settlement scheme after Brexit.

The deadline will come as shock to many who thought the fact the Home Office is insisting on a digital share code to evidence their rights meant the DWP would automatically know who was entitled to remain in the country or not.

Vicol said the DWP demand will also be a concern for many in the 450,000-strong Home Office backlog of applications still being processed for the settlement scheme. “I can’t even begin to explain how anxious this will make those in the Home Office backlog, who – through no fault of their own – cannot generate the proof the DWP is demanding,” she said.

The letter failed to account for EU citizens who may have had pending applications to the EU settlement scheme (EUSS) and should therefore have had their rights protected until an outcome was reached.

The Home Office minister Kevin Foster has repeatedly said the rights of EU citizens who are still in the backlog would be guaranteed by the issue of a certificate of application from his department.

Vicol said her charity was also concerned about vulnerable EU citizens who were not computer literate and might have had their applications submitted by charities or other representatives, and so might not have been aware they needed to evidence their rights to the DWP. The WRC also fears that those who have moved address or changed their telephone number may not get notification from the DWP of the need to update their online benefits profile.

Almost half of those seeking the assistance of the charity reported they did not know how to get a “share code” from the Home Office when asked to do so by their employer.

“Their current approach puts local authorities and benefits advisers across the third sector in a very awkward position, to fixate on proving status when many people have already done it and others simply can’t,” she said.

A government spokesperson said: “We continue to use every possible channel – including letters, telephone calls, texts, and the direct contact our frontline staff have with their customers – to encourage those who are eligible to apply to the EU settlement scheme.”

News

Lagos sales manager remanded, accused of stealing N32.2m from boss

A 25-year-old sales manager, Olatunbosun Olarewaju, has been remanded in Ikoyi Prison after being accused of masterminding a shocking N32.2 million theft from his employer, just months after securing the job.

The police at Adeniji Adele Division, Lagos Island, said Olarewaju allegedly abused the trust of his boss, Mr Victor Ibe, by selling goods worth N32.2 million and diverting the proceeds into multiple personal accounts before disappearing.

According to police investigators, the lid was blown off the alleged scheme when Ibe conducted an audit and discovered a massive shortfall in stock value.

Acting swiftly, the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, launched an intelligence-driven manhunt that led to Olarewaju’s arrest at a hideout in Lagos.

Following the investigation led by Sergeant Abraham Friday, Olarewaju was arraigned before the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court, Lagos Island, on a two-count charge of conspiracy and stealing.

Prosecuting counsel, Inspector Ishola Samuel, told the court that the offences took place between August 2024 and April 14, 2025, at 23 Princess Street, Lagos Island.

He said Olarewaju, entrusted with managing and selling his employer’s goods, instead chose to divert millions of naira into his private coffers.

The offences, Samuel said, contravened Sections 411 and 287(7) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.

Olarewaju, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Presiding Magistrate A.A. Paul granted him bail in the sum of N1 million, with two sureties in like sum, but ordered his remand at the Ikoyi Correctional Centre until he meets the conditions.

The case has been adjourned until May 27, 2025, for further mention.

News

Military kills over 100 terrorists, rescue 21 hostages — DHQ

The Defence Headquarters, DHQ, has announced major successes in its ongoing counter-terrorism and anti-oil theft operations across Nigeria, with over 100 terrorists killed, 100 suspects arrested, and 21 kidnapped victims rescued between April 17 and 25, 2025.

Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General Markus Kangye, disclosed the achievements in a statement on Friday.

Kangye noted that coordinated offensives across the North East, North West, North Central, South South, and South East regions yielded substantial results.

“In the North East, troops of Operation Hadin Kai launched aggressive offensives leading to the surrender of ISWAP/JAS elements and the elimination of dozens of terrorists,” Kangye said.

In the North West, troops under Operation Fagge Yamma neutralized several insurgents, arrested suspects, and rescued victims in Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, and Katsina States.

In the North Central zone, Operations Safe Haven and Whirl Stroke also recorded significant success. Between April 18–22, troops acting on credible intelligence arrested over 37 criminal suspects in Plateau and Kaduna States.

In the South East, troops under Operation Udoka carried out successful raids in Imo, Enugu, Anambra, and Ebonyi States, killing terrorists, arresting suspects, and recovering arms and explosives. Notably, four kidnapped victims were rescued during these missions.

In the South South, troops of Operation Delta Safe targeted illegal refining sites and oil theft networks, destroying equipment and seizing crude oil and petroleum products worth over ₦94 million.

“Between April 18 and 22, troops made contact with terrorists in several communities, seizing weapons, mobile phones, motorcycles, and IEDs,” Kangye added

News

Pope Francis Laid To Rest In Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica

This photo taken and handout on April 26, 2025 by The Vatican Media shows the rite of the burial of the coffin of Pope Francis at Santa Maria Maggiore basilica. (Photo by Handout / VATICAN MEDIA / AFP)

Pope Francis was buried inside his favourite Rome church after a funeral mass in St Peter’s Square, the Vatican said on Saturday.

Francis, who died on Monday aged 88, was laid to rest during a 30-minute ceremony which started at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT) at the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica in the Italian capital.

Footage shared by the Holy See showed cardinals marking his wooden and zinc coffin with red wax seals.

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, who as camerlengo is running the Vatican’s day-to-day affairs until a new pope is elected, sprinkled it with holy water after it was lowered into a tomb set inside an alcove.

A reproduction of the pectoral cross worn by Francis during his lifetime hung above it.

Francis had asked that the tomb, located near the altar of Saint Francis, be simple and unadorned, reflecting the humble spirit of his papacy.

The tombstone bears only the inscription “Franciscus” — the pope’s name in Latin.

Its marble is sourced from Liguria, the northwestern Italian region once home to the Argentine pontiff’s Italian ancestors.

Francis, born Jorge Bergoglio, had specified in his will the exact spot he wanted to be buried, in the side nave of the beloved fifth-century AD church.

The pontiff was devoted to the worship of the Virgin Mary and made a point of praying in Santa Maria Maggiore before leaving on trips abroad and upon his return to Rome.

He declared his desire to be entombed there in 2023.

Located in the heart of Rome, the basilica already holds the tombs of seven popes.

But the last one to be buried there was Clement IX in 1669. More recently, popes have usually been buried in St Peter’s Basilica.

One of four papal basilicas in Rome, Santa Maria Maggiore also holds the remains of several other renowned figures, such as the architect and sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini, who designed St Peter’s Square and its surrounding columns.

Built around 432 AD under Pope Sixtus III, the basilica holds some of the Catholic Church’s most important relics, including an icon of the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus, attributed to Saint Luke.

(Channels/AFP)