I was not detained in UK, Obi speaks up on immigration controversy

The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi says he was never arrested by immigration officials in the United Kingdom.

Recall that in April, the Labour Party announced that Obi was harassed and detained at Heathrow Airport in London for alleged impersonation. 

According to the party, Obi was questioned for a “long time” and that it took the intervention of Nigerians for him to be released.

“He was questioned for a long time, and it was very strange for a man who lived for over a decade in that country”.

Reacting to this, Obi in an interview with Arise TV on Monday, May 1, 2023, contradicted the claim by his party, saying he has never been arrested, detained or questioned in any country. 

He said, “I was never arrested, I was never detained. And I did not commit any offence. I was stopped for a routine immigration check because there appeared to be a duplication of my identity and all this lasted for a maximum of 20 minutes.

“I lived in the UK from 1993 until 2005. From then till now is a period of 30 years. I have never been questioned, arrested or detained in any country in the world. I have never for any reason found myself being questioned for any offence.

“It was a routine immigration check and I was actually given all the due respect by the border personality that interviewed me, who told me ‘your identity has been duplicated, be careful”.

He said he once had a permanent residency in the UK, but he chose to return to Nigeria because he was born a Nigerian.