Nigerian media advocacy group, Estreet ONTV, has condemned the ongoing mistreatment of Nigerians living abroad, highlighting that the situation is becoming increasingly alarming.
The group voiced their concerns at the headquarters of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) in Abuja, focusing on the general maltreatment of Nigerians overseas, particularly the prolonged detention of Nigerian cleric Pastor Benjamin Egbaji in Benin Republic on unverified charges.
Recently, Nigerians protested at the Benin Republic Embassy in Abuja to express their dissatisfaction with Pastor Egbaji’s detention and urged the Nigerian government to intervene. They also called for action against various xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in multiple countries.
Samson Eze, leader of the group, addressed the media alongside NiDCOM spokesman Abdur-Rahman Balogun. Eze stated that beyond Pastor Egbaji, over 5,000 Nigerians are currently detained in Benin Republic, describing this as an affront to both the Nigerian people and government. He criticized the Nigerian government’s inadequate response to these incidents.
Eze urged the government to employ the principle of reciprocity to demonstrate its strength and influence against the unacceptable actions of Benin Republic authorities. The group suggested that Pastor Egbaji might have been targeted due to his popularity in the country.
“There seems to be this hatred for Nigerians in the Diaspora, the moment you say you’re a Nigerian like the case of South Africa or any other part of the world, there seems to be this hatred, people begin to hate you for nothing. We’ve heard a series of stories of our people being victimized or attacked simply because they are Nigerians,” the group lamented.
Responding, NiDCOm spokesman Balogun assured them that the government has intervened in the case of the cleric by providing additional legal representation, which he believed will go a long way to help in his case.
He noted that the country will apply diplomatic efforts to ensure justice for the Nigerian detainee. He, however, noted that everyone should wait for the outcome since the matter was before a court of law.
He also advised Nigerians to be good ambassadors of the country by being law-abiding in their host countries, stressing that intervention of the government will be easier if cases against Nigerians abroad are not based on criminality and infringement of the laws of their host countries.
