A Nigerian couple, Raphael Ossai and Oluwakemi Olasanoye, has been jailed in the United Kingdom after attempting to smuggle an orphaned baby girl into the country using forged documents.
According to a BBC report, the pair were apprehended at Manchester Airport when Border Force officials became suspicious of their interaction with the child they claimed was theirs.
Preliminary checks exposed inconsistencies in their story, leading to a deeper investigation.
Ossai initially produced a birth certificate naming Olasanoye as the infant’s mother.
However, authorities discovered a second birth certificate hidden in the couple’s luggage, which instead listed Ossai’s British wife as the child’s mother.
The case prompted a detailed probe into the child’s true identity, which authorities are still working to confirm. DNA tests revealed that the girl—referred to as Lucy by officials—is not related biologically to Ossai, Olasanoye, or Ossai’s wife.
Investigators found that Lucy had been born in a rural Nigerian village in September 2022 and was placed in an orphanage shortly after birth by her young, unmarried mother.
Both Ossai and Olasanoye admitted to immigration offenses and were sentenced to 18 months behind bars, with deportation to follow.
Court records showed that Ossai and his wife had previously sought to adopt a child and had been granted permission to foster Lucy in Nigeria.
However, they had no authority to adopt her or take her out of the country.
Social services noted that Lucy showed signs of neglect upon arriving in the UK, including emotional withdrawal, poor nutrition, and difficulty forming emotional bonds.
Despite appealing to the High Court for custody on the grounds that Lucy’s cultural identity might be lost if placed with white foster families, their request was denied.
Justice Sir Jonathan Cohen ruled that the deception by Ossai and Olasanoye had caused Lucy significant emotional harm and ordered that she be made available for adoption within the UK.
Lucy has since been placed in multiple foster homes but will be raised with knowledge of her Nigerian heritage.
Efforts to involve the Nigerian High Commission during the proceedings reportedly went unanswered, leaving gaps in understanding the child’s background.
While the Home Office did not comment specifically on the deportation, it reaffirmed its policy of removing foreign nationals convicted of crimes.
