Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Honourable Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has condemned the arrest of 42 Nigerians in Mozambique, and demanded their immediate release.
Worried by the arrest of the 42 Nigerians without any offenses leveled against them, the NiDCOM chairman stated in a statement by Abdur-Rahman Balogun that it was distasteful to learn that only Nigerians were allegedly handpicked for arrest.
She declared that, if they run foul of the law, the authorities in Mozambique should arraign and charge them before a court of law.
Dabiri-Erewa stated that the reported sudden and specific round up of only Nigerians depicts a xenophobic attack on the citizens of Nigeria.
The NiDCOM boss therefore urged the Mozambique authorities to immediately release the arrested Nigerians or let the law take its course.
According to reports, the Nigerians were specifically singled out and arrested at a spare parts market, out of all the traders and individuals present in the market, without any allegations or explanations on why they were detained.
The 42 arrested Nigerians have been confirmed to be legal residents, even as the Nigerian Attorney General was reportedly not aware of any charges against them.
They were allegedly beaten, their personal belongings stolen, just as many of them were said to have fallen sick and in need of medical attention.
