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His little smile lights up a room - but in 24 hours little Rafeeq Atanda faces deportation to a country he has never known.

Today the community, who have grown to know and love the five year-old, has launched a desperate bid to save him from an uncertain future, thousands of miles from home.

Rafeeq was born in the UK and has grown up in Gateshead with his mum, Bola Fatumbi.

Bola, 30, arrived in the country from Nigeria more than 10 years ago seeking asylum amid fears for her own safety.

She went on to have Rafeeq and the pair have spent the past five years making a home for themselves in the Bensham community.

A pupil at Brighton Avenue Primary School, Rafeeq quickly established himself as a popular pupil with a lot of friends, while Bola joined a number of community groups in the area.

But their lives were turned upside down on Monday when the pair were removed from their home, taken to an immigration holding centre, and told they would be deported back to Nigeria on Friday.

Now, the community where the mother-and-son lived is launching an online petition to stop the deportation over fears for Rafeeq.

Joanne Allan, headtecher at Brighton Avenue Primary, said: “Rafeeq has never lived in, or even visited Nigeria before.

“He joined our school in nursery and, to begin with, needed lots of support.

“He had very little language and understanding and he found it difficult to make eye contact. However, throughout his time in our school, Rafeeq has made good progress and more importantly has settled well and is a very happy little boy. He is now in Year 1.

“As Rafeeq is now facing immediate deportation, he will be feeling extremely confused and distressed about the situation the family are now facing.

“He will find any changes to his lifestyle very difficult to adapt to and therefore his safety and emotional wellbeing are of great concern to us.

“To return to Nigeria, with no family and no means of support, will be hugely detrimental to Rafeeq and his mum. He has always lived in the UK and does not know any different.

“He is a delightful little boy, with a huge circle of friends. He is polite, well-mannered and always impeccably well behaved.

“He has continued to make good progress due to the high level of support we have given him in our school.

“It is very doubtful whether he would achieve this support in Nigeria.

“We want Rafeeq to stay in the UK and come back to Brighton Avenue Primary School, so we can support him with a good education and a stable and safe family life.”

Bola is understood to have sought sanctuary in the UK over fears for her safety following a family tragedy back home in Nigeria.

Kath Hayward, from Bensham, is one of the parents from the school who has been supporting the family. She has now launched an online petition in a bid to keep Rafeeq and his mum in the community.

She said: “Rafeeq will have no comprehension of what is happening to him. He will find it very difficult to adapt to such a change.

“Bola has no wish to return to a place where she has no contacts or support mechanisms. The deportation would leave Bola and Rafeeq destitute.

“Bola sought sanctuary in this country as an asylum seeker. Sending them back to an uncertain future against their wishes is the worst possible outcome.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “The United Kingdom has a proud history of granting asylum to those who genuinely need our protection, and each claim is carefully considered on its individual merits.

“When someone is found not to need our protection, we expect them to leave the country voluntarily. Where they do not, we will seek to enforce their departure.”

To support the campaign to keep Raffeq and Bola in the UK, visit this site: change.org/p/theresa-may-cancel-deportation-of-rafeeq-and-bola-2