The United Kingdom’s Home Office has asked some Nigerian nurses being probed for alleged examination fraud to leave the country.
According to Nursing Times, the affected nurses are still awaiting the outcomes of their appeals. However, they have received official letters from the Home Office instructing them to leave the UK starting next week.
The deportation order follows an ongoing probe by the UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) into suspected malpractice at Yunnik Technologies Test Centre in Ibadan, Nigeria.
The Home Office, had revealed that these nurses have been instructed to leave as early as next week as their visas have been revoked after allegations of fraud were raised by the NMC.
However, the NMC, which oversees nursing standards in the UK, has come under criticism for “deliberately delaying” the resolution of these cases.
Campaigners and advocates have called on the regulator to expedite hearings to prevent the nurses from being repatriated before their appeals are fully considered.
Peters Omoragbon, executive president of Nurses Across The Borders and president of the Diaspora Nurses Association of Nigeria, accused the NMC of “deliberately delaying” appeal hearings so that nurses could be served with notice from the Home Office.
He told Nursing Times: “That saves them the troubles of trying to prove or trying to litigate. The NMC could be accused of deliberate delay, so that these nurses could lose their rights of abode here in the UK.”
Nearly 2,000 nurses were alleged of fraudulent activities at a testing centre in Ibadan. Around 50 nurses have taken legal action, claiming their registrations were unfairly revoked or applications denied.
Many of them have faced visa cancellations and employment dismissals while awaiting hearing outcomes. A group of these nurses issued a formal pre-action letter to the NMC, demanding that the regulator engages with the Home Office to prevent deportation and also reassess cases of deregistration.
The NMC missed the deadline to respond, prompting the nurses to escalate legal proceedings. The situation remains unresolved as affected nurses continue to fight for fair treatment.
Background to the CBT investigation
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) launched an investigation in 2023 into alleged fraud at the Yunnik Technologies Test Centre in Ibadan, Nigeria which affected 48 registered nurses and 669 applicants.
There was evidence of proxy testing, which instigated that others had completed the computer-based test (CBT) on behalf of the genuine applicants.
The NMC required retakes of the CBT and reviewed cases through its investigating committee (IC) and assistant registrar (AR). So far, 10 of the 48 registrants accused have been removed from the register, while two were allowed to stay. Also, among 200 applications reviewed, 191 were refused due to character concerns, while nine were accepted after satisfactory responses.
The investigation continues, with 17 applications still under review. These efforts aim to address fraudulent practices and uphold the integrity of the registration process.
