Nigerian Man Arrested At Wedding For Overstaying His Visa In The UK

Imagine leaving home with the intention of attending a wedding, but ending up in detention? That was the case of a Nigerian man who was apprehended at the venue of a wedding in Falkirk, Scotland for overstaying his visa.

According to the BBC report, he was to be a witness at a wedding in Falkirk where he was caught and later detained by the UK Border Agency.

The agency said it had received intelligence that the 31-year-old who had travelled to Falkirk from the Leicester area was to attend the ceremony at Falkirk registration office on 15th November, 2012. Officers arrested the Nigerian man after it was confirmed he had overstayed his visa.

Anna Beattie, from the agency in Scotland told the BBC “This operation shows that it does not matter where in the UK you travel to, if you are here illegally and seeking to evade our immigration laws you can expect to be found by us and removed from the UK. The UK Border Agency is working with colleagues at registration offices throughout Scotland and receives intelligence from a wide variety of sources. We will not hesitate to act against those who mistakenly believe that they can abuse the immigration system.”

The man is now being held in detention while steps are taken to remove him back to Nigeria.

And you might be wondering what happened to the wedding? Well, the marriage, between a 32-year-old Nigerian man and a 25-year-old Hungarian woman, did not take place. Rather, officers said they were also making further enquiries about the prospective groom’s immigration status.