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General News of Wednesday, 27 January 2021

Source: punchng.com

FG denies claim of Nigerians’ illegal detention in Bangladesh

File photo: Federal Government logo File photo: Federal Government logo

The National Association of University Students on Tuesday protested alleged illegal detention of Nigerians in Bangladesh.

But two Federal Government’s agencies said they were not aware of the maltreatment.

The student, who stormed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja, accused the government of failing to stand up for the hapless citizens incarcerated in various Bangladeshi detention centres.

The protesters, while chanting solidarity songs, displayed placards with such inscriptions as, ‘Stop dehumanising Nigerians in Bangladesh’, ‘Dehumanisation of Nigerians in Bangladesh must stop’, ‘Nigerians in Bangladesh must enjoy the same privileged Bangladeshis enjoy in Nigeria’, among others.

The youths had earlier protested at the Bangladeshi High Commission in Asokoro.

Addressing ministry officials, the NAUS President, Ijeh Felix, said he had written to the Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, on the plight of Nigerians in the Asian country but lamented that no action was taken on the issue.

Felix alleged that many Nigerians were being detained without trial by the Bangladeshi authorities.

“Many Bangladeshis are living in Nigeria and nobody has stopped them from staying here. I know many of them farming rice in Kano and doing business in Lagos and Abuja; no one is intimidating them.

“But Nigerians are being intimidated all over the world. In Ghana, Nigerian traders are being harassed and their shops locked; we can’t forget the xenophobic attacks on Nigerians in South Africa,” he stated.

Felix presented a petition to the officials while demanding a speedy intervention in the plight of the citizens in Bangladesh.

But the spokesman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abdul-Rahman Balogun, said he was not aware of the detention of Nigerians in Bangladesh.

The MFA spokesman, Mr Ferdinand Nwonye, equally said he had no information on the Nigerians facing maltreatment in Bangladesh.