Students fight family deportation

The family say they fear death threats in Africa

Students from a Plymouth community college are campaigning to stop a family from Nigeria being sent back there after their asylum claim failed.

The mother and six children are being held at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre near Bedford.

Students at Stoke Damerel Community College fear the family could be in danger if they go home.

The MP for the area, Linda Gilroy, has promised to raise the matter with Immigration Minister Liam Byrne.

Helen, who has six children, Theresa, Winston, Mac, Emmanuel, Richard and Fred, came to the UK in 2003 and moved to Plymouth a year later, when her husband returned home.

I would rather die here than go back to Nigeria Helen, failed asylum seeker

Helen, who is too scared to reveal her surname, said the family claimed asylum because they feared "domestic abuse, cruel treatments and death threats" if they stayed at home.

Emmanuel, 14, suffers from sickle cell anaemia and the family fear for his health if they are forced to return to Nigeria where they cannot afford medication.

They were told in December that they were to be removed from the UK, after two appeals against a rejection of their asylum claim failed.

Students at the college, where four of the children studied, collected more than 200 signed letters from supporters, and sent them to the Home Office and MPs.

'Very scared'

Alex Stupple-Harris, 17, from Stoke, said: "I will do anything to get these people back.

"The whole school is getting involved. It just shows how strongly we feel about them."

Helen, speaking from Yarl's Wood, said: "I am very very scared.

"I would rather die here than go back to Nigeria."

Ms Gilroy said: "I will certainly press the minister to use any discretion he may have, but I do not want your expectations to be raised that this will produce a change in the decision that eventually Helen and her family will have to return to Nigeria."

The Home Office said in a statement: "We would much rather that families who have no lawful basis for staying in the UK left voluntarily.

"Sadly many families do not and it therefore becomes necessary to enforce their departure."