Nigerian youngster commits suicide to avoid being deported

NIGERIAN youngster Rilwanu Balogun committed suicide at the Glen Parva Young Offenders Institute in Leicester in 2011 to avoid being deported an inquest was told yesterday.

Rilwanu, who came to the UK when he was seven years old, hanged himself at the institute just a day after his 21st birthday in Leicester. The inquest heard that Mr Balogun who had spent much of his childhood in institutions had told staff he had nothing more to live for.

 According to evidence presented to the inquest, Mr Balogun was transferred to Glen Parva, which holds men aged 18 to 21, in April 2011 to await deportation to Nigeria. He was found hanged on the morning of May 8 and was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary but died a week later.

 Paul Mayfield, a senior prison officer, said: “He told me he had nothing to live for. He said I’ll be deported back to Nigeria and I’ve got no-one back there and I’ll be living in the slums.”
At the hearing, it was revealed that Mr Balogun had a string of previous convictions. Inspectors, who visited the centre after Mr Balogun’s death said they were pleased to see improvements in the management of vulnerable prisoners and that suicide and self-harm was generally well managed.
-Nigerianwatch