..says 13 Nigerians killed in last 6yrs
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has posited that its warning to Nigerians going to Northern Cyprus is advisory.
The Commission also stated that there are 13 unresolved cases of killings of Nigerians in Northern Cyprus since 2016, to butress it’s claims of insecurity.
NiDCOM made the clarification following a purported protest by Hidayet Bayraktar, Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye.
Dabiri-Erewa on Thursday said the warning by NiDCOM should not be seen as an attempt to scare away potential travellers to Northern Cyprus.
She had warned that “it’s been a lot of problems in Northern Cyprus. So, we had youths come and tell us, ‘Please tell everybody to stop going to Northern Cyprus. We did that some time ago and some people said, ‘how can you tell people not to go.’ And I’ve said it again, if you’re going to Northern Cyprus, think twice about it.”
The advice, NiDCOM boss said in a statement signed by Mr. Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols
NIDCOM, said the warning is inline with NiDCOM citizens diplomacy; adding that Nigerians are left to make a choice.
Justifying her security alert, Dabiri-Erewa cited 13 unresolved killing cases concerning Nigerians
She said, “Above all, what we have given is advisory in line with our citizens’ diplomacy. One has the option to either key into it or ignore . It should not be misconstrued as exaggeration or an attempt to scare away potential travellers to Northern Cyprus.
“Whether it is Nigerians killing Nigerians or drug related crimes, there is some form of danger emanating from Northern Cyprus as alluded to in the Ambassador’s letter thus:
” _I do not dispute that some unfortunate criminal incidents took place in the TRNC, as it happens in any part of the world. However, the occurrence of such incidents is certainly not a daily routine and all these cases are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly by the TRNC authorities”.
_”Moreover, since in many cases, Nigerian citizens are not only victims, but also perpetrators of crimes committed in the TRNC, necessary measure will be taken by the relevant agencies in order to prevent young Nigerians and every other student from falling victims.”
She also added, “This is our concern as a responsible Commission whose mandate is to oversee the welfare and well being of Nigerians,and we are glad that the Ambassador has promised to take “ necessary measures”.
‘In as much as we do advise our citizens to always be law-abiding wherever they find themselves and be good ambassadors of the country, Nigeria will not fold its arms and allow her citizens to be molested or killed in any unjustifiable manner while seeking for knowledge in a foreign land,” she further added.
She therefore appealed to the Turkish Embassy “to do all they can to protect Nigerians in Northern Cyprus , particularly, students.and we are optimistic that the reaction to our recent statement would elicit a positive and proactive reaction from the Embassy.
” While we pray for the repose of the souls of many students who have died in mysterious circumstances in Northern Cyprus, we also pray and hope that only good stories would henceforth emanate from Northern Cyprus.”
