Claim: A Facebook user, Musa Sissoho, claims that a Gambian family of five was deported from the United Kingdom after selling their properties to relocate.
Verdict: False. The claim that a Gambian family of five was deported from the United Kingdom is false because the incident didn’t occur in The Gambia. Evidence shows the story is linked to a Nigerian family, not a Gambian one.
Full Text
On May 4, 2026, Musa Sissoho, a Facebook user, shared a post claiming that the UK government deported a Gambian family of five, a father, mother, and three children, after they sold all their belongings and borrowed money to relocate.
“The UK government has deported a father, mother, and their 3 children back to The Gambia after they sold all their properties and even borrowed millions just to relocate to the UK,” he said.
He alleged that the family originated from Wuli in the Upper River Region and had sold properties, including a house, land, a vehicle, and a business, before moving to the UK.
“Essa (the husband) sold his house in Wuli, his land in Sare Ngai, his black Lexus 330, his big boutique shop, and also borrowed thousands to relocate himself, his wife, their two children, and his wife’s late senior sister’s daughter, who had been living with them, to the UK,” the poster claimed.
The post gained traction, generating hundreds of reactions, comments, and shares, with mixed responses from users. Some users expressed sympathy, while others questioned the claim’s authenticity.
One Ous Jallow commented, “I’ve never seen a person with patience being regretful, as people bond together and always remember the past good times of your relationship whenever mishaps occur between you. Sister Mariam made a costly mistake.”
However, Desmond Samuel is sceptical that the story wasn’t in Gambia. “This same story is floating online, but it was between a Nigerian couple, so I’m thinking this story is fabricated. However, the Nigerian one doesn’t include cheating. It was just greed. Whichever way we learn to be patient and accept each other’s lapses, there is no perfect relationship. Life goes on, it’ll be difficult tho!”
A screenshot of some comments.
Against this backdrop, DUBAWA seeks to run a fact-check to verify the accuracy of the story as it goes viral and generates conflicting narratives.
Verification
To verify the claim, DUBAWA reviewed reports from major media outlets, including newspapers, television, and online platforms. No credible source reported such an incident involving a Gambian family.
Further investigation revealed that similar narratives were circulating online but were linked to a Nigerian family.
Multiple social media posts described a Nigerian family deported from the UK following internal disputes and visa-related issues.
One such post alleged that the deportation followed a failed attempt by the wife to remove her husband from a visa arrangement. You can also read stories related to posts. here, here and here.
Further searches revealed that this story was reported in Nigeria on 29 March, 2024, in a Facebook video. DUBAWA has also sent official emails to the United Kingdom Home Office for confirmation of this case. However, efforts to obtain information remained unsuccessful.
To seek further clarification, DUBAWA contacted the Gambian High Commission in the United Kingdom. We spoke to Sulayman Suntou Touray, Deputy High Commissioner, who said the claim is false.
“This story is not about The Gambia. It was a Nigerian family case,” he said.
Available information showed the story was reported in Nigeria two years ago, while in The Gambia, it was reported by a social media user in May 2026.
Conclusion
Available evidence indicates that the viral claim misrepresents the incident’s origin. The deportation story is associated with a Nigerian family, and was reported by Nigerian social media users two years ago and is not a Gambian one. Therefore, the claim that a Gambian family was deported under these circumstances is false.