Third detainee threatens to jump from detention centre rooftop

Morton Hall Immigration Centre rooftops

A Nigerian man is the third detainee in less than three weeks to protest about his prolonged detention at Morton Hall detention centre in Swinderby, Lincolnshire.

He climbed the nine-meter high Fry building at 8.15am this morning and is threatening to jump off the roof.

Dave Hewitt from Morton Hall Visitors Group said:

The man is saying he’s going to commit suicide and the rest of the detainees are under lockdown.

Another Nigerian detainee at Morton Hall said of the man on the roof:

He is frustrated with his situation here, he has been detained for a long time now and he says there is no reason for them to keep him here.

He is threatening to jump and there is an ‘in-house negotiator’ trying to convince him to come down. I think they are going to have to wait until he is exhausted because he refuses to come down.

This is the third protest at Morton Hall, with the previous protests happening in July when two detainees scaled Morton Hall’s rooftops and threatened to jump within less than 24 hours of each other.

The detainees, a Palestinian and a Malaysian were allegedly protesting at the ‘disrespect’ and ‘inhumane’ treatment they claim to be experiencing, including being detained for prolonged periods.

A UK Border Agency spokesperson said:

There is currently a protest ongoing at Morton Hall involving one detainee who has scaled the roof. We are working with the Prison Service to resolve the situation.

He later added:

The one-man protest at Morton Hall in which a detainee scaled the roof of the centre has been resolved. The Nigerian man, who was protesting about his own immigration case, was talked down safe and well shortly after 3pm.