Somali asylum seeker Abdirahman Ajab with string of convictions sues for £50,000 because trying to deport him gave him 'nightmares' Abdirahman Ajab, 30, convicted of armed robbery and false imprisonment Criminal has fought off several deportation attempts since being jailed Now suing for £50,000 saying that his treatment gave him 'mental problems' A criminal asylum seeker is suing the Government for £50,000 claiming their persistent attempts to deport him from Britain has left him unable to sleep and psychologically scarred. Abdirahman Ajab, who has a string of previous convictions, says his treatment has given him 'mental problems' and 'nightmares' so the Home Office 'owe' him. The 30-year-old Somalian has been convicted of robbery and false imprisonment but still convinced a High Court judge to let him stay in the UK several years ago. He now says that being held at an immigration centre for eight months while the Government considered his case gave him mental health problems. Immigration case: Abdirahman Ajab has blocked Government attempts to deport him at the High Court and is now suing for £50,000 because he has been left with 'mental problems' He was later sent to prison after an armed robbery but still managed to block another deportation attempt and was handed a taxpayer-funded flat in Tower Hamlets, east London. Ajab has been in Britain since 1996 when he arrived as a 13-year-old asylum seeker from east Africa. He has said that if he wins the £50,000 compensation case he would use it to buy land in Somalia, adding that he would like to go back home but the UK government is stopping him. Claim: Ajab says he would use cash to buy land in Somalia (pictured) and go back but says the Home Office are not allowing him to leave The Government have been doing me bad for years. It's given me mental problems. It's given me nightmares. They owe me man,' he told The Sun. The Home Office, who are dealing with the case, told MailOnline they would not comment on individual cases. But speaking about his claim that he is being stopped from leaving Britain a source said: 'He's more than welcome to leave.'