Nigerian Actress Seeking Asylum In UK Wins Right To Rehearing

A Nigerian actress and model seeking asylum in the United Kingdom has convinced an immigration judge that her case deserves a fresh look, after arguing that her public profile puts her at risk back home.

The woman identified only as OO claims her celebrity status, political activism, and family background expose her to harm if she is forced to return to Nigeria. Her application centres on her involvement in the October 2020 End SARS protests, which she said she helped coordinate and attend.

According to Mail Online, she filed a protection and human rights claim shortly after arriving in the UK in 2021, stating she was a “well-known model and actress” who became politically visible during the protests. She also noted that she is the daughter of a local politician.

The Home Office rejected her claim in November 2023, concluding that her account of her public profile was “vague and limited” and that she had lied about her salary on her visa application. But in a new ruling, Deputy Upper Tribunal Judge David Kelly said the first tribunal did not properly examine the evidence as a whole.

He found that while she may have been untruthful about her income, the previous tribunal failed to assess whether her political involvement, combined with her fame and family ties, could genuinely put her at risk.

Judge Kelly stressed that credibility cannot be determined by isolating fragments of a case, noting:

“Just as one cannot make a cake with only one ingredient, so too one cannot make a case without considering all the relevant evidence together.”

He said the earlier tribunal did not evaluate how the broader context of End SARS protests might support or contradict her claim of risk, calling this a significant legal error.

The case has now been sent back to the First-Tier Tribunal for a complete rehearing before a new judge.

While the court accepted inconsistencies in her testimony, it also noted gaps in the assessment of whether she would continue political activism if returned to Nigeria — a factor that could influence the level of risk she faces.

For now, OO remains in the UK as her asylum battle resets for a fresh evaluation.