UK immigration officers detain Peter Obi in London over ‘mistaken identity’, yet to apologise

The Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has said that the British authorities have not apologised to him as some persons have claimed.

Mr Obi was detained by UK immigration authorities during the Easter break for acts thought to have been committed by an imposter, according to the party’s Presidential Campaign Council in a statement published on Wednesday.

According to Diran Onifade, Head of the Obi-Datti Media Team for the LP PCCC, Obi was detained for questioning on Good Friday, April 7, 2023, when he arrived at Heathrow Airport in London from Nigeria.

According to the statement, he was eventually released after Nigerians who observed the incident created an outcry.

“The LP Presidential candidate in the February 25 Presidential poll arrived at Heathrow Airport in London from Nigeria on Good Friday, April 7, 2023, and joined the queue for the necessary Airport protocols when he was accosted by immigration officials who handed him a detention note and told him to step aside,” the statement read in part.

“He was interrogated for an extended period of time, which was unusual for a man who had lived in that country for over a decade,” the statement continued.

it was thanks to Obi’s popularity that the immigration officers were forced to offer an explanation.

“Since Obi’s face was already an international frame, especially for Nigerians, Africans at home, and in the Diaspora who are likely to be Obidients, the people quickly raised their voices wondering why he was being delayed,” the statement went on.

Many Africans have taken to social media to express their outrage at the actions of the British immigration authorities.

“Do they mean to tell us that all Africans look alike or that two people cannot have the same name, how can they arrest Peter Obi because of an imposter?” queried a Twitter User.

“This means the British authorities are incompetent and cannot stop an imposter, or they deliberately wanted to humiliate Mr. Obi,” a Facebook user commented.

Peter Obi has today confirmed that he is yet to get any apologies from the British authorities. According to the Obi-Datti press team, they have not received any apologies but trust that the British authorities will do their best to resolve the issue.

This is something many Nigerians will be expecting, at the very least.