Empress Gifty, the celebrated Ghanaian gospel singer, has publicly shared the traumatic experience that forced her deportation from the United Kingdom, shedding light on what she describes as betrayal within the creative arts industry. Speaking during a live TikTok session, she recounted how a trip meant to advance her career ended abruptly due to the inaction of a colleague who had invited her but allegedly abandoned her upon arrival. She chose to keep the identity of the person private.
According to Empress Gifty, her ordeal began immediately upon landing in the UK. Immigration officials questioned her about the person she was visiting and asked her to confirm contact. Despite repeated attempts to reach the individual, the colleague allegedly refused to answer calls, leaving the singer stranded.
The singer described being confined in a monitored room at the airport, where multiple cameras recorded her movements, while immigration staff repeatedly attempted to reach the unresponsive host. Empress Gifty detailed that the officers had been trying to contact the colleague from early morning until late afternoon without success.
In a desperate attempt to resolve the situation, her ex-husband contacted then-Ghanaian Foreign Minister Hannah Tetteh for assistance. Despite the intervention of a high-ranking official, immigration authorities remained firm, insisting she could not be allowed to stay in the UK without confirmation from the host.
Ultimately, Empress Gifty was forced to return to Ghana the same day, and her two-year visa was annulled within a week. She revealed that the experience stayed with her for years, prompting critics to question her reliability for international engagements.
Determined to silence those critics and prove her resilience, Empress Gifty later undertook another trip to the UK under controlled circumstances.
