The UK Home Office has directed Nigerian nurses under investigation for alleged examination fraud to leave the country.
This is despite pending appeals, already their visas have been revoked. This follows an investigation by the UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council into suspected malpractice at a test centre in Ibadan, Nigeria.
The probe uncovered anomalous data patterns, leading to the invalidation of test results for 717 individuals.
The Home Office has reportedly sent them letters directing them to leave the country from next week.
The deportation order follows an investigation by the UK’s Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) into suspected malpractice at Yunnik Technologies Test Centre in Ibadan, Oyo state.
The investigation was launched after the NMC was alerted of “anomalous data”.
The probe, which began in 2023, was triggered by unusual data patterns detected in the computer-based test (CBT) for foreign nurses seeking UK registration.
The CBT is a key component of the UK’s nursing qualification process and it is usually taken in applicants’ home countries.
Following the probe, the NMC said it found that 48 registered nurses and 669 applicants might have fraudulently obtained their test results at the Yunnik centre.
The NMC, therefore, ruled that all the test results issued by the centre were invalid.
The NMC had said the affected individuals would have their cases assessed by an independent panel to determine if they indeed committed fraud.
In February 2025, about 50 of them issued a pre-action protocol letter to the NMC, alleging that their hearings were “deliberately” delayed.
They also urged the NMC to work with the Home Office to allow them to remain in the UK while their appeals were under review.