By Wale Elegbede
Nigeria and Sudan are among the top ten nationalities with the highest number of sexual offence convictions among foreign nationals in the United Kingdom, new figures show.
Data from the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ), drawn from the Police National Computer (PNC), reveals that sexual offence convictions of foreign nationals have surged by 62% in just four years.
According to numbers obtained by the think tank Centre for Migration Control, foreign nationals accounted for 14.1% of all sexual offence convictions last year — roughly one in seven cases.
The rise comes amid mounting public anger over illegal Channel crossings, with 27,997 migrants arriving in small boats so far this year — the highest on record for this point since the first crossings in 2018.
Last month, protests erupted after Ethiopian asylum seeker Hadush Kebatu, housed in an asylum hotel, was charged with multiple sexual offences, including against a 14-year-old girl. He denies all charges.
On the latest MoJ list, Nigeria and Sudan ranked 6th and 7th respectively, with 40 convictions linked to Nigerians and 37 to Sudanese nationals in 2024. They were the only two African countries in the top ten.
Earlier this month, The Africa Media reports that a Nigerian national, Segun Ogundipe, 33, of Gloucester, was jailed for five years for rape and sexual assault. Days later, another Nigerian, Elvis Nosakhare, was sentenced to six years for abusing his girlfriend’s underage daughter.
The top five nationalities with the highest sexual offence convictions last year were:
- India (100)
- Romania (97)
- Poland (83)
- Pakistan (56)
- Afghanistan (43)
Bangladesh (34), Portugal (33), and Iran (30) completed the top ten list.
Overall, sexual offence convictions among foreign nationals rose from 687 in 2021 to 1,114 in 2024, compared with a 39.3% increase among British nationals (from 4,409 to 6,142).
The MoJ cautioned that offenders with multiple nationalities may be recorded under their “primary” nationality only.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said:
“This country already has a serious crime problem with its own people, which makes importing foreign-born criminals all the more stupid. Foreign sex offenders are becoming one of the most pressing political issues in Britain. These figures will infuriate the public.”
