With limited input from Nigerian authorities and no confirmed family ties, Lucy remains in care—her identity and future uncertain.
In a cross-border saga that has gripped observers on both sides of the Atlantic, the identity and future of a Nigerian child known as “Lucy” remain unresolved nearly two years after her arrival in the UK.
In June 2023, UK Border Force officers at Manchester Airport arrested Raphael Ossai and Oluwakemi Olasanoye after discovering conflicting birth certificates for Lucy, one listing Olasanoye and another listing Ossai’s British wife as the child’s mother.
Ossai and Olasanoye later pleaded guilty to immigration offences and were sentenced to 18 months in prison. While they claimed to be acting out of love, the UK High Court found their actions deceptive and illegal.
The court determined neither had legal authority nor biological ties to the child, who was born in rural Nigeria in September 2022. A social worker described Lucy as showing signs of emotional neglect and trauma.
In April 2025, Justice Jonathan Cohen ruled that Lucy be placed for adoption in the UK, changing her name and emphasising the need for stability.
“We see her as our daughter,” Ossai and his wife pleaded, but their request was denied.
With limited input from Nigerian authorities and no confirmed family ties, Lucy remains in care—her identity and future uncertain.