Officers of the UK Border Force, in June 2023, intercepted a
Nigerian couple who attempted to bring in a baby that was not biologically
theirs.
According to a BBC report, the officials became suspicious
after they noticed the couple “behaving oddly” in their interaction with the
baby at the Manchester airport.
Raphael Ossai, who claimed to be the girl’s father, produced
a birth certificate for the baby, which showed Oluwakemi Olasanoye, his
travelling companion, as the mother.
However, officials said they found a second birth
certificate, hidden in the lining of the couple’s luggage. It named another
woman, Ossai’s British wife, as the mother of the baby.
Border Force investigation revealed that Lucy (not real
name) was born in a Nigerian rural community in September 2022, and was given
to an orphanage by her young mother when she was three days old.
COURT PROCEEDINGS
Ossai and Olasanoye were accused of illegally taking the
baby to the UK from Lagos, Nigeria.
DNA tests presented to the court proved that Lucy was not
related to either Ossai or his travelling companion.
Ossai later told the court that he and his British wife had
been looking for a child to adopt, and that he took custody of Lucy when she
was a baby.
The court found that the couple had legal permission to
foster Lucy but not to adopt her or take her out of Nigeria.
Ossai and Olasanoye pleaded guilty to immigration offences
and were sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Ossai and his British wife subsequently asked the court to
allow them to care for Lucy — a request the court refused.
He said Lucy was like a daughter to him, arguing that the
English court had no power to take her away since Nigerian authorities had approved
him as her foster parent.
Ossai’s British wife reportedly said Lucy “is like that
precious gift that I desired so much”.
However, Jonathan Cohen, the high court judge, said their
lies and actions, especially moving Lucy from Nigeria, had “inevitably caused
her very significant emotional harm”.
WHAT NEXT FOR LUCY?
According to the report, Lucy is presently in her third
foster home since her arrival in the UK. In April, a judge ordered that she be
placed for adoption and that her name be legally changed.
The judge was quoted as saying that Lucy “needs to have the
best opportunities going forward in the world,” adding that such prospects
could “only be achieved through placement with an alternative family”.
Lucy’s case has seen limited involvement from the Nigerian
High Commission, despite repeated requests for engagement from the high court,
the report added.
The Nigerian High Commission was also accused of ignoring
requests to comment on the report.
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