Students Storm Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Protest Illegal Detention Of Nigerians In Bangladesh

The National Association of University Students on Tuesday came together to lament about the alleged illegal incarceration of Nigerians in Bangladesh by the authorities.

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

The protesters while chanting solidarity songs wielded placards with such transcriptions as, ‘Stop dehumanizing Nigerians in Bangladesh,’ ‘Dehumanization 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 earlier 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 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 has no information on the Nigerians facing maltreatment in Bangladesh.