Nigerians and other immigrants in the United Kingdom are increasingly living in fear as the country, once considered a haven of opportunity, faces a surge in racism and sweeping immigration crackdowns.

Saturday PUNCH findings revealed that Nigerians, now the second-largest non-European immigrant group in Britain, are confronting a double bind: the rise of hate behaviour, including racism within British institutions, and new restrictive visa rules that may upend thousands of lives.

According to the UK Office for National Statistics, about 120,000 Nigerians were living in the UK as of June 2024, second only to Indians.

Of these, more than 52,000 migrated for work and education opportunities in 2024 alone.

Yet, with tightening laws and increasing hostility, many now fear the “British dream” is slipping away.

BBC Panorama exposé: Racism in the Met

The sense of insecurity deepened last week after a BBC Panorama investigation uncovered racist and misogynistic conduct among officers of the London Metropolitan Police.

Undercover reporter Rory Bibb, who worked for seven months in Charing Cross Police Station in Central London, secretly filmed officers sharing racist views about immigrants and Muslims, making sexualised comments, joking about rape in private chats, and even suggesting shooting migrants.

The exposé, which follows years of criticism of the Met’s culture after scandals such as the 2021 murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens, prompted an apology from Commissioner Mark Rowley.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, also demanded a “robust response” from police leadership, while London Mayor Sadiq Khan described the footage as “sickening.”

He vowed zero tolerance for racism, misogyny, and abuse of power.

Khan, in a public letter, said, “It was sickening to watch police officers — those who are tasked with keeping our communities safe — display such blatant racism, misogyny, anti-Muslim hatred and excessive use of force. There must be no hiding place for officers who abuse their position of trust.”

Nigerians speak of ‘dangerous streets’

For many Nigerians, the revelations simply confirmed what they already felt on the streets.

A UK-based Nigerian legal practitioner, Dele Olawanle, expressed dismay over what he called a sharp decline in Britain’s tolerance.

He urged “true Brits” to resist the rise of racist tendencies.

“The streets are now dangerous. We are afraid to go out at night, walking with trepidation during the day, and beginning to distrust each other. Every white man is now a suspect. We don’t know who to trust. We are at war,” Olawanle wrote in a public statement.

He also warned that racism was seeping into institutions as he recalled losing six consecutive cases before one judge, only to later win them on appeal.

“If racism enters the courts, justice will no longer be based on law but on the colour of our skin,” he said.

Another Nigerian, Victor Emmanuel, said racisim was not peculiar to the Charing Cross Police Station.

He added, “This is what happens at all police stations all around the country and black & ethnic minorities in the country are not surprised by what was discovered. It’s what they experience when they encounter the police.”

Labour’s immigration clampdown

Alongside racism, new immigration policies are heightening anxiety.

At the ruling Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool, Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood announced that migrants seeking indefinite leave to remain — the gateway to permanent residency — must meet stricter conditions.

The conditions include having a job, making social security contributions, claiming no benefits, maintaining a clean record, and undertaking community volunteer work.

Currently, migrants who have lived in the UK legally for five or 10 years, depending on visa type, qualify for indefinite leave.

But Labour is tightening rules as it seeks to counter the growing popularity of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party, which has surged ahead in national opinion polls on a strongly anti-immigrant platform.

Reform has proposed abolishing permanent residency altogether, forcing migrants to reapply for visas every five years.

Mahmood told party delegates that the changes were designed to reassure voters that the government could “control borders” without conceding ground to the far right.

Critics, however, argue that the rules target hard-working migrants while fuelling division.

The policy shift follows earlier changes introduced in July 2025 that raised the salary thresholds for Skilled Worker visas to £41,700 for most roles, and £25,600 for health and care positions.

The government also increased the minimum skill level for foreign workers to degree-level jobs, cutting out lower-skilled but essential roles such as entry-level IT, admin, technical support, and care supervisors.

These positions were previously eligible under the Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) route but now face stricter restrictions unless listed as “shortage occupations.”

Saturday PUNCH learnt that the changes have left many Nigerians stranded, with some losing jobs or sponsorships overnight.

Others are resorting to the “self-sponsorship” route, which requires salaries well above the £41,700 threshold — an unrealistic option for most.

Several Nigerians shared harrowing experiences of navigating the new reality.

Margaret, who has lived and worked in the UK for four years, said she was told her Certificate of Sponsorship was invalid despite having the proper documents.

“Even if they are targeting us immigrants, they should do so appropriately and not use every means to send us away. It is painful that there is no one to fight for us in this situation,” she said, adding that she had taken her case to court.

Another migrant, Avoseh Pesu, said the new thresholds had turned life into a “war of stay.”

“Companies do not even want to recruit foreigners again because of the £41,700 salary plan. People are considering returning home, while some have been forced to go home. I am so tired. If it persists this way, I could return home,” he said.

Wusi Fola, another Nigerian, said the proposed residency requirements would worsen the situation.

He said, “The new rules are too much for us immigrants. I know many Nigerians will panic. But I will advise that people wait to see how things unfold.”

Experts warn that the clampdown could trigger a reverse migration of Nigerians from Britain.

A Nigerian-UK dual citizen, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described the crackdown as politically motivated.

“It is not easy again in this country. No one is safe in the books of the government at this point,” he said.

A travel consultant and education services executive, Sulaimon Okewole, told Saturday PUNCH that thousands of Nigerians might be forced to leave.

He said, “The significant increase in salary thresholds is a setback for many Nigerians. There’s no doubt thousands could be affected, many of whom may be forced to return home or seek opportunities elsewhere.”

Figures from the UK Home Office show the scale of Nigerian migration: 10,245 Skilled Worker visas were issued to Nigerians in 2021, dropping slightly to 8,491 in 2022, before rising to 26,715 in 2023.

But early 2024 data shows a sharp decline, particularly in the Health and Care Worker category, reflecting the impact of tougher rules.

The Nigeria Police Force has impounded no fewer than 210 vehicles nationwide during the enforcement of the ban on unauthorised use of tinted glass, despite a Federal High Court order temporarily suspending the enforcement.

The Federal High Court sitting in Warri, Delta State, on Friday ordered the police and the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to suspend the enforcement of the tinted glass permit regulation for vehicle owners across the country.

The court asked the police and the IGP to maintain the status quo and “respect judicial processes pending further proceedings in the matter.”

The court issued the interim order as the hearing opened in Suit No. FHC/WR/CS/103/2025, instituted by legal practitioner John Aikpokpo-Martins against the Inspector-General of Police and the police.

Aikpokpo-Martins approached the court to challenge the legality of the new tinted permit enforcement.

In the interim order, the Court directed the police authorities to “respect judicial processes pending further proceedings in the matter.”

Senior Advocate Kunle Edun, SAN, who led the legal team for the petitioner, confirmed the development to journalists and noted that “the directive is a major step in ensuring that the rule of law is upheld while the substantive issues in the case are being determined.”

In April, the police announced it had resumed the issuance of tinted glass permits nationwide through the Police Specialised Services Automation Project, after suspending the scheme in 2022.

The move reignited public criticism, with motorists raising concerns about harassment, extortion at checkpoints, and the fairness of demanding permits for factory-fitted tinted windows.

Egbetokun initially set an August 12 deadline for motorists to obtain the permits, but later extended it to October 2.

The Police defended the policy as lawful, citing the Motor Vehicles (Prohibition of Tinted Glass) Act of 1991 and national security concerns.

However, in the course of enforcing the tinted glass permit regulation across some states, the police impounded 210 vehicles for alleged violations.

In Borno State, the police impounded no fewer than 30 vehicles.

The command spokesperson, Nahum Daso, confirmed the development to Saturday PUNCH, noting that the command was awaiting further directives from the force headquarters on suspending the enforcement of the tinted glass regulation.

Daso said, “We are yet to get further directives from the headquarters regarding the court ruling. However, so far, we have impounded around 30 vehicles or so”.

The Akwa Ibom police command impounded 88 cars without tinted glass permit.

The command Public Relations Officer, Timfon John, who disclosed this while speaking with one of our correspondents in Uyo, said the vehicles had been taken to the command, pending the presentation of permits by their owners before release.

She said that the command inspected a total of 283 vehicles, with 195 having been released and 88 vehicles undergoing investigation.

‘’The command has inspected 283 vehicles so far, 195 out of the number have been released while 88 vehicles are undergoing investigation,’’ the PPRO said.

In Gombe, the police impounded 20 vehicles.

A police officer who spoke under anonymity disclosed this to our correspondent on Friday.

He added, “Some officers on stop and search have impounded no fewer than 20 vehicles. Since the operation started.”

He noted that, following the court’s pronouncement, the command would await further directives from the police authorities before taking additional steps on the matter.

The police in Jigawa State impounded 20 private and commercial vehicles on the first day of the enforcement.

The command spokesman, Shi’isu Adam confirmed this to our correspondent on Friday.

He advised vehicle owners in the state to comply with the permit regulations to avoid penalties.

Asked about the Court’s order to halt enforcement, the PPRO said he was unaware of the ruling.

In Kano, when contacted to provide updates on the number of vehicles impounded and whether the enforcement would be suspended in line with the court ruling, the Police Public Relations Officer, Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, said the matter was not for the state command to decide.

An Oyo State High Court sitting in Ibadan, on Friday, granted the interim injunction in an ex-parte motion brought by the elected chairmen in Osun State.

The order restrains United Bank of Africa from paying, releasing, or tampering with funds deposited in the 30 Local Government accounts where the Central Bank of Nigeria controversially lodged statutory allocations belonging to Osun councils.

The Certified True Copy of the order, signed by the Principal Registrar of the Oyo State High Court, B. O. Somide, was issued on October 2, 2025 and obtained by The Punch in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Friday.

The claimants, led by Sarafadeen Awotunde and five others, on behalf of all the 30 council chairmen and councillors in Osun State, argued that unless the court intervened urgently, the funds could be dissipated illegally by the ousted All Progressive Congress chairmen, causing irreparable harm to the lawful administrations of the councils.

In his ruling, Justice Akintola agreed that the matter required urgent judicial intervention.

“Having carefully considered the claimants/applicants’ motion ex-parte together with the supporting affidavits and exhibits, this court is satisfied that the claimants/applicants have successfully made out a case for urgent and timely intervention, as any delay in granting the interim orders might foist irreversible harm on them,” the judge said.

Consequently, the court granted, “An order of interim injunction restraining UBA from paying, releasing, disbursing, or tampering with funds in the disputed local government accounts.

“An order of mandatory injunction mandating UBA to place a “Post No Debit” lien on the affected accounts pending the hearing of the substantive motion on notice.

“The affected accounts include those of all 30 local governments in Osun State, from Atakumosa East to Osogbo Local Government Area, each identified by name and account number with UBA.

“The suit, filed as Suit No. 1/1167/2025 at Court No. 5 of the Ibadan Judicial Division, was moved by counsel to the claimants, Olalekan Adeoye Esq.”

Justice Akintola, therefore, adjourned the hearing of the substantive motion on notice for interlocutory injunction till Thursday, October 9, 2025.

This latest ruling comes amid heightened tension over Osun’s local government allocations, with the rival camps of sacked APC chairmen and the current elected Peoples Democratic Party chairmen locked in a fierce legal battle.

The State Government had, on Friday last week, obtained a similar injunction against the accounts in a case instituted by the Attorney-General of Osun State.