Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

Death of 26 Nigerians in Mediterranean Sea Tragic and Avoidable – Dabiri-Erewa

Nigerians in Foreign Prison: Chairperson House Committee on Diaspora, Hon. Abike Dabiri- Erewa addressing pressmen on 457 Nigerians in Brazil Prison and other part of the world while Vice Chairperson Hon. (Mrs) Betty Apiafi of Abua Odual/Ahoada, East Federal Constituency looks on at the Briefing at National Assembly, Abuja. Photo by Gbemiga Olamikan.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Abike Dabiri-Erewa has described the deaths of 26 Nigerians who got drowned in Mediterranean sea as “most unfortunate and tragic”.

She described the deaths of these young Nigerians, mostly women and girls, as avoidable and preventable.

In a statement by her Special Assistant on Media, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, she lamented for the umpteenth time that promising young Nigerians embarking on such dangerous journeys, in search of greener pastures, end up faced rather with hopelessness, torture, despair and sometimes death, as in this case.

“It is tragic and lamentable. It is just not worth it ultimately. There has to be sustained awareness campaigns on the dangers inherent in such journeys. Migration policies are getting tougher all over. “.

Dabiri-Erewa said that President Muhammadu Buhari has been working with the International Organization of Migration (IOM), to bring back voluntary returnees, adding that “even if survived, it is not usually greener out there”.

She, therefore, appealed to the Italian authorities to ensure thorough investigations into the deaths and reiterated her appeals to Nigerians to desist from such journeys.

Regrettably, such trips are usually paid for, sometimes as high as $4,500 dollars as inhumane traffickers profit from the illicit business, luring the victims who ignorantly fall for the apparently fake lure of a better life out there.

The boats now being used are getting smaller and more dangerous, and those on the other side are not particularly willing to save them from drowning anymore.

No fewer than 26 Nigerians were reportedly got drowned in the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday.

It was alleged that the Nigerians are sexually abused and murdered at the sea.

It was learnt that the Italian prosecutors have begun an investigation into the deaths of the victims, mostly teenagers, though hundreds of other migrants survived.

 

__________

Follow us on Twitter at @thesignalng

Copyright 2017 SIGNAL. Permission to use portions of this article is granted provided appropriate credits are given to www.signalng.com and other relevant sources.

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement

Related

News

The Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has disclosed that 13 buses containing about 1,500 Nigerians are expected to arrive soon in...

News

The House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora yesterday promised to reintroduce the diaspora voting bill to accommodate Nigerians living abroad, Daily Trust reports. Chairman...

News

The Chairperson, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has urged Nigerians living in the Diaspora not to be disappointed that they will not be...

News

US President-elect, Joe Biden has appointed Nigerian-born attorney, Adewale Adeyemo, as Deputy Treasury Secretary. Adeyemo will serve under former Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen,...

Copyright ©