Foreign
Home Office worker arrested for ‘selling’ UK residency
A Home Office case worker has been arrested on suspicion of trying to sell UK residency to an asylum seeker living in Northern Ireland.
BBC News NI can reveal the official allegedly contacted a vulnerable man and asked for £2,000 in return for approving his refugee application.
It is understood sensitive Home Office records were used as part of the attempted scam.
The Home Office said the member of staff has been suspended.
It said it expected “the highest standards” from its staff, but it would be “inappropriate” to comment further due to the live police investigation.
Labour’s Shadow Immigration Minister Stephen Kinnock said they were “deeply concerning allegations” and the Conservative government had “lost control” of the asylum system.
BBC News NI has spoken to the intended victim, who we are calling Renas to protect his identity.
He said he was contacted by a worker employed as an asylum “decision maker” in the north of England.
Renas said he received a call in early March 2024 where it was claimed “95% of people like you” have their applications refused.
The decision maker then allegedly suggested a direct payment would guarantee success.
“He said I could be sure he would refuse my application,” Renas said.
“But if I could help him, he could help me and he asked for some money. He asked for £2,000.
“He basically offered me a positive decision.”
Renas, a former journalist, said at first he thought it was “a total scam”, but it became clear to him the man on the phone did work for the Home Office.
“He had all my information. He gave me very specific details from my application.”
Renas recorded a subsequent video call he received from the decision maker, which he passed to police and which has also been seen by the BBC.
The footage appears to show an individual using a laptop which has official Home Office software containing case files.
“He targeted the most vulnerable people in society,” Renas said.
“There will be other asylum seekers who are going through the same process, or maybe there are some people who have already been scammed like this. I feel this is my responsibility to inform them.
“I was persecuted in my home country by the authorities. I was already afraid of the Home Office and other institutions here.”
Renas raised concerns with his solicitor who alerted the authorities.
In a statement Lancashire Police told BBC News NI: “We can confirm we have arrested a man on suspicion of misconduct in public office, suspicion of money laundering, bribery, and computer misuse offences.
“Officers from Lancashire Constabulary alongside partners from the Home Office arrested the man, in his 30s, in the Ramsgreave area of Blackburn.
“An investigation remains in its early stages and enquiries are ongoing.”
It is not clear how many other individuals could have been targeted in this way, if any of those individuals handed over money, or if any cases were approved on the basis of a payment.
Renas has since been assured his refugee status is secure, and the decision to grant him UK residency was not affected by the alleged actions of the decision maker.
Image caption,It was a “very confusing time” for Renas, his lawyer Sinead Marmion said
Immigration solicitor Sinead Marmion said the actions of the decision maker were “egregious”.
“My first thought was this cannot be real,” she said.
“This is an exceptionally unusual situation.”
She praised her client’s “integrity”, adding: “For him to be able to raise an issue like this took a lot of guts.
“He was initially quite frightened about what was going on, and it was difficult for us to give him any comfort because it was a very confusing time.”
Asylum claims – a legal request for sanctuary, or refugee status, in another country – can be made by anyone who comes to the UK under an international convention agreed in 1951.
In 2022 BBC Newsnight reported claims from Home Office insiders who said the system for dealing with asylum claims was blighted by “inexperienced and low-paid” staff being hired to handle applications.
‘Shocking’
“Given backlogs, and promises to clear backlogs, there has been a recruitment very quickly of people who perhaps are not vetted enough and aren’t qualified enough to actually deal with matters of such magnitude” Sinead Marmion said.
She describes Renas’ experience as “shocking but perhaps not surprising”.
Last year a senior Home Office official revealed to a committee of MPs the proportion of asylum decision makers who leave their jobs each year stood at 28%.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “We expect the highest standards from our staff to ensure asylum claims are properly considered, decisions are sound and that protection is granted to those who genuinely need it.
“The member of staff was arrested and suspended. It would be inappropriate to comment further as the matter is subject to a live police investigation.”
Shadow Immigration Minister Stephen Kinnock said: “These are deeply concerning allegations and it is right that the police are looking into this matter.
“The Conservatives have lost control of our asylum system across the board and should be working round the clock to restore integrity and public trust.”
Renas said he is “relieved” his refugee status has been confirmed by the Home Office and he can now move on with building a new life in Northern Ireland.
“I have hopes to build a career here. I have some real hopes that I can do that,” he said.
A United States federal court has set August 21, 2026, as the deadline for the release of records linked to longstanding allegations concerning Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and U.S. financial accounts associated with him in the 1990s.
The records are being sought in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed by Aaron Greenspan, which has reportedly been before the federal courts for more than three years.
The documents are understood to be held by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The development followed a reported request by the DOJ for an additional 10 days to comply with an earlier court order requiring the release of the records.
According to Von Batten, a Washington, D.C.-based Republican lobbying firm, Tinubu also joined the DOJ’s request for the extension.
The firm said it obtained a copy of a recent court filing submitted on Tinubu’s behalf and claimed that the Nigerian president formally joined the request just two business days before it became public.
However, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell rejected the request for additional time and directed that the records be released by August 21.
Von Batten said Tinubu’s reported decision to participate in the extension request raised questions about his reasons for seeking more time before the records are made public.
The firm alleged that the delay could potentially be used to lobby U.S. officials over concerns that releasing the documents might affect U.S.-Nigeria relations.
It further speculated that Tinubu could argue that disclosure of the records might affect his cooperation with Washington on counterterrorism and security matters.
The records relate to allegations dating back to the early 1990s, including the 1993 forfeiture of approximately $460,000 connected to accounts associated with Tinubu in a U.S. proceeding involving suspected proceeds of narcotics trafficking.
Tinubu has consistently denied wrongdoing and has rejected allegations linking him personally to drug trafficking.
Von Batten also warned against any attempt by U.S. officials to interfere with the FOIA or judicial process to prevent the records from being released.
The lobbying firm referenced U.S. President Donald Trump’s stated opposition to shielding individuals accused of serious criminal conduct, arguing that the legal process should be allowed to proceed without political interference.
With Judge Howell’s ruling in place, the records are expected to be released on or before August 21, unless further legal action changes the deadline.
The contents of the documents remain unknown, and their release could provide further information about the 1990s forfeiture proceedings and U.S. law-enforcement investigations involving accounts linked to Tinubu.
South Africa’s anti-immigration group, March and March, has announced September 30 as a fresh deadline for undocumented foreigners to leave the country, as it staged a protest outside the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit in Durban on Monday.
The group marched through central Durban under the theme, “It’s time to fetch your people,” calling on African leaders attending the 46th SADC Summit to take back their citizens living in South Africa without legal documentation.
March and March had earlier led nationwide protests on June 30, demanding tougher government action against undocumented immigration and warning that its campaign would continue until its demands were addressed.
Announcing its latest action, the group said the September 30 deadline would mark the beginning of what it described as the “mother of all protests”, while urging South Africans to assist the police in identifying undocumented foreigners.
The protest took place as the 46th Ordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government got underway in Durban, with leaders from the regional bloc’s 16 member states in attendance.
The demonstration has renewed debate over South Africa’s treatment of foreign nationals, particularly citizens of other African countries.
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently condemned discrimination and violence against foreigners, saying South Africa could not advocate regional integration at the SADC summit while practising exclusion within the country.
The June 30 protests were accompanied by security operations and reports of attacks and looting in some areas, according to police reports cited in the original report.
March and March has continued to demand tougher action against undocumented immigration, while tensions over the treatment of foreign nationals have prompted some African countries to evacuate their citizens from South Africa.
The latest protest has brought the immigration dispute directly to the doorstep of the SADC summit, placing the issue before regional leaders whose citizens are among those affected.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to bomb Oman if it “gets in the way” of a US deal with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz, while calling on Tehran to surrender.
Trump made the remarks in an interview with Fox News journalist Trey Yingst, amid ongoing talks between Oman and Iran over future maritime navigation arrangements through the strategic waterway.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the shit out of them,” Trump said, referring to the discussions between Oman and Iran as Washington pursues its own negotiations.
Iranian and Omani officials have been holding talks for weeks, with Iran’s Foreign Ministry saying Monday that both sides were working towards a joint declaration on the strait.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the Strait of Hormuz is under US control, despite Iran maintaining an effective blockade that has severely restricted maritime traffic.
On Friday, Trump said he could even declare the Strait of Hormuz part of US territory, prompting Iran to insist that the strategic waterway “will remain Iranian.”
Trump also called on Iran to “put up the white flag of surrender,” according to Yingst.
The Strait of Hormuz, which lies between Iran to the north and Oman to the south, was previously regarded as an open international waterway and carries a significant share of global energy shipments.
AFP
There has been no known deployment of US ground forces in Iran during the Middle East war, with the exception of a rescue mission in April for a downed American pilot.
Hatami did not provide any details on where or when the killing or capturing of US soldiers was expected to take place.
“Anyone who kills or captures and hands over an invading American military personnel will receive a reward equivalent to $30,000 or 5 billion tomans from the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Army,” Hatami said, using an informal unit equivalent to 10,000 Iranian rials.
The war between Tehran and Washington began on February 28 after the United States, joined by Israel, attacked Iran. It was followed by an April ceasefire after nearly 40 days of fighting, and a June framework for peace talks that later collapsed.
Iran and the United States have since traded fire sporadically, with fighting mainly centred in southern Iran and around the Strait of Hormuz.
AFP
The family of Philip Ifeanyi Elobuike, an indigene of Eziama Village, Ebe, in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, has appealed to the public for assistance in locating him after his photograph surfaced on social media following nearly two years without contact.
Elobuike first travelled to the United States around 2004 and initially settled in the Los Angeles area of California. He later moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, before relocating to Dallas, Texas.
According to his family, Elobuike remained in contact with his relatives in Nigeria until around 2024, when communication with him suddenly stopped. Before losing contact, he was active on social media platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.
His family had continued searching for him, and on August 11, 2026, they were relieved when his photograph surfaced on social media. The picture provided them with at least some reassurance that he was alive.
Elobuike Philip
However, contrary to reports circulating in some media outlets and on social media, Elobuike has not been reunited with his family or located by his kinsmen in the United States.
His relatives and members of the Nigerian community reportedly spent the entire day on August 12 searching for him in different parts of Dallas but were unable to locate him.
The family is therefore appealing to members of the public, particularly Nigerians and other individuals in the Dallas area, to assist in locating Elobuike and ensuring that he is safely reunited with his family.
The family also urged people to disregard reports claiming that he has already been found and reunited with his relatives, describing such reports as inaccurate.
Anyone who has information about Elobuike’s whereabouts or comes across him is urged to contact any of the following:
Dr. Fred Ngwu: (214) 418-8145
Moses Onyejekwe: (213) 479-2340
Law Okolo: (646) 302-2597
The family expressed appreciation to everyone who has shared his photograph and appealed for continued circulation of the information until he is successfully located.
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