On Feb. 8, the Nigerian embassy in China declared that China will not deport over 80,000 Nigerians, though a rumor to that effect had been circulating. The embassy condemned the rumor as a vicious and irresponsible lie.

According to the debunked statement, China would deport more than 80,000 illegal immigrants from Nigeria, but would provide travel fees and give each person a 2,000-RMB stipend with which to rebuild their lives in Nigeria. The rumor also purported that Nigeria refused the offer because the identities of the people in question could not be verified.

Jin Canrong, a professor at Renmin University of China, was also implicated in the story. Jin was said to have commented on the case, claiming that such a deportation scheme would meet several obstacles. Asked about the situation, Jin insisted he had heard nothing about it, and the comments must have been lifted from his former speeches on China’s illegal immigrant population.