A United Kingdom-based Nigerian woman has appealed to the Nigerian government and the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) for intervention after the police in Durham arrested her husband while the social services officials took her children away in a manner she considered “unfair.”
Speaking in an interview with SaharaReporters, the woman, identified only as Oluwatosin, narrated her ordeal, which began on December 3, 2024.
“On the 3rd of December, my daughter, who I have always had concerns about and have always spoken to the school about, made a disclosure to her school as regards my husband,” she explained.
“My husband was arrested on the same day, and on the 8th of December, my daughter retracted her statement.”
According to the woman, the social services intervened shortly after.
“On the 12th of December, the social services gave me a letter to be at the court at 1pm, and the court was at 2pm on that same day. My children were immediately removed from me,” she revealed.
She further lamented that the UK court’s decision to remove her children from her had left her devastated.
“I started having supervised contacts with them, and the student social worker accused me of whispering to my daughter and intimidating her. Hence, I was arrested by the police on the 6th of January 2025 and bailed not to see my children for now.”
The woman’s troubles did not end there.
She stated that the police had confiscated her electronic devices, further isolating her.
“The police have got in custody both my phones and laptop,” she said.
“Durham police have been unfair to me and social workers because I’m the only one fighting this course. I can’t see my children, neither can I communicate with my husband on bail.”
In her plea, she appealed for assistance from the Nigerian authorities and NIDCOM, saying, “Please come to my rescue.”
“I have no contact in the Nigerian High Commission to help, nor anyone in the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist,” she lamented.
The woman also expressed frustrations over the school’s handling of previous concerns she had raised about her daughter.
“I have been raising documented concerns with this school at her behaviour, exposure, and ways of life. Even the school at a point were questioning if that was the right place for her,” she stated.
The distressing case has sparked discussions among Nigerians in the UK and beyond, with many sympathising with her plight.
She added, “I know a lot of Nigerians are in this situation. No one is stopping them (UK) from investigating, but the way this is being handled is unfair.”