Despite hundreds of emails and calls begging the British government to reverse its decision, gay Nigerian Olalekan M. Ayelokun, known as Ola, was deported from the UK on Wednesday despite dangers he may face upon his return, the SSO reports:
Ayelokun's asylum application was rejected after a judge ruled that he did not believe he was gay.
Several friends and lovers of Ayelokun, including a member of the British civil service, had given extensive testimony supporting his assertion that he is an openly gay man. But, in the absence of specific guidelines on how to handle such claims, the judge had the discretion to reject that claim.
In Nigeria, the maximum sentence for homosexuality is 14 years in prison. “I feel terrible, traumatised. I am very afraid they are going to kill me in Nigeria,” Ayelokun said in a statement.
AllOut.org is now running another petition to tell the UK Home Secretary "to do what they've promised and lay out clear and fair guidelines on adjudicating asylum claims of lesbian, gay, bi and trans people in the UK."
