Assault on Nigerians abroad
Some months back, one of my lecturers sent me a web link that contained details of a writing competition that was themed on African leadership, security and the way forward. It was being held specifically for African students between the ages of 17-25 and the top five participants would be flown to South Africa to […]
Some months back, one of my lecturers sent me a web link that contained details of a writing competition that was themed on African leadership, security and the way forward. It was being held specifically for African students between the ages of 17-25 and the top five participants would be flown to South Africa to present their write-ups in front of some literary scholars at a conference. On seeing the destination, most of my fellow students and friends tried to, in their own way, advice me to not participate and their reason was unanimous in that South Africa is a country where Nigerians had been reported to have faced a lot of xenophobic attacks from South Africans and should I win the competition, my safety would be in jeopardy. They kept insisting this even though I had tried to explain that the people organizing the competition would see to the contestants’ safety. One cannot blame them though as they are correct in saying that Nigerians have been harassed on multiple occasions not just in South Africa but in many other countries around the world.
There’s just something about Nigerians that one cannot confidently point out. We are always in the news for one reason or the other. Sometimes such reasons are negative when there are reports of our people committing heinous crimes like drug trafficking, rape, assaults and even robbery. Sometimes however, such reasons are positive and they help to promote the country. We have people who have shown valiance in academics like one Ms Hauwa Umar Usman who recently earned a first class degree in Aeronautical Engineering in the University of Brighton, United Kingdom. We have many others like Hauwa but the recent reports of Nigerians being assaulted and or killed in Ghana is neither negative nor positive. It is just plainly disturbing.
Over the last few years, the assaults that Nigerians have been subjected to in other countries are gradually becoming alarming. The situation in Ghana in which five Nigerians were killed has seen uproar from some Nigerians here at home who believe that more should be done by the Federal government to ensure the better safety of the county’s citizens living abroad. It was reported by some media outlets that the victims’ deaths were as a result of reprisal attacks from the Ghanaians who believed a Nigerian had killed their fellow Ghanaian.
A response by the Nigerian government to such attacks has been long overdue as over the years, Nigerians have been suffering in foreign lands. The list of attacks is quite long. As pointed out in a Guardian Newspaper Editorial of April 12 this year, in 2008, 2013, 2015, and 2017, there were wild waves of brutal attacks on foreigners in South Africa and this affected the huge population of Nigerians living in that country. In 2014, 2016, and March 2017, Nigerians were the targets of mob attacks because of their skin colour and nationality.
Not to be outdone, some European and American nations, in their bid to rid their societies of illegal immigrants pick up many Africans from the streets, among who are Nigerians and then put them in chains while being locked up for hours apparently awaiting interrogation. The reports of Nigerian deportees seen in shackles on both the hands and legs is completely inhumane and should receive always receive immediate reaction from the Nigerian authorities.
The federal government needs to do more if these kinds of situations are to be addressed efficiently. It is quite rare to hear of America’s or British citizens being assaulted on foreign lands and even when such rarities do occur, the government of these countries try as much as they can to tackle the situation and get those responsible for the attacks. Why can’t this be the case of Nigeria too? Is it that the giant of Africa has become so feeble that it cannot call on the governments of other countries to do more in ensuring the adequate safety of Nigerians?
Isah Suleiman Kandi, Abuja.