A Nigerian man’s fight to get a residence permit despite paying taxes and living here for more than a decade has suffered another setback, as his personal file accompanying the application is missing.

His fate was now in the hands of his employer because if he loses his job he could be asked to leave the country, even though he has been a taxpayer for eight years and lived in the country legally for 11 years, Michael Ajibode told Times of Malta.

Why am I being treated like an outcast when I have been living here for 11 good years?

Mr Ajibode, 41, had his application for permanent residency suspended for four years while facing court proceedings over theft.

Following his acquittal last April, the application was reactivated.

Three months ago, when the director at the Citizenship and Expatriate Affairs Department was changed, he was told the file containing all his personal documents was missing. Without it, his application cannot be processed, leaving him in a state of uncertainty.

Sheer frustration on a daily basis has become routine for Mr Ajibode, who cannot understand how such an important file could be lost when the application has been pending for so long.

“Why am I being treated like an outcast when I have been living here for 11 good years,” he asked.

He settled here when he married a Maltese woman in June 2003 after a courtship in Libya, where she was carrying out missionary work.

After four years and 10 months – two months before he was due for citizenship – his wife obtained a court order to remove him from their home, claiming he was abusive.

She also filed for separation and started annulment proceedings, as she had successfully done with her previous marriages to a Dutchman and another Nigerian. The couple have no children.

Mr Ajibode convinced the court to reject the annulment, even at appeal stage, in November 2012. Before the case was over, however, he was accused of theft by a mechanic he used to help. He was acquitted last year after CCTV footage produced as evidence was discarded when experts concluded it had been edited.

Mr Ajibode lost his right to citizenship when he separated from his wife but was allowed to stay for the annulment proceedings and to defend himself against the theft charges brought against him.

His case came to light last year when Times of Malta published his story on how difficult it was for him to get permanent residency.

The latest setback affected him badly because permanent residency would bring a sense of belonging, Mr Ajibode said, adding that if something happened to him he was unable to claim anything from the State even though he paid tax.

“I’m entitled to automatic residency after five years and this situation is unheard of,” he said, hoping he could someday move on with his life instead of living in fear.