NIDCOM Archives - Naija Premium Gist

NiDCOM condemns massacre of 16 Nigerians in Burkina Faso

February 8, 2023 No Comments

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has condemned the massacre of 16 Nigerians travelling in Burkina Faso as unjustifiable, callous and criminal.

NiDCOM chairwoman Abike Dabiri-Erewa condemned the killing in a statement on Tuesday.

The NiDCOM chair called on the Burkinabe authorities to fish out the perpetrators and prosecute them.

Ms Dabiri-Erewa, who reiterated President Muhammadu Buhari‘s resolve to ensure “appropriate sanction” through diplomacy to those involved in the wicked killing, said it was a condemnable and barbaric act.

The NIDCOM boss joined others in condoling the families and friends of the deceased and prayed for the safety of other stranded Nigerians in the country.

“To those who were unjustifiably killed, especially as they were on spiritual pilgrimage, may Allah accept them into His martyrdom and quicken the pace of recovery of those injured survivors,” she prayed.

According to the statement, some Muslim pilgrims, including 16 Nigerians, were allegedly shot and killed by Burkinabe soldiers on patrol.

At a news conference on Sunday in Abuja, the Jam’iyyatu Ansariddeen Attijaniyya of Nigeria revealed that 16 of its members were shot dead by the Burkinabe soldiers.

They were reportedly on their way to the home country of their leader, Sheikhul-Islam Ibrahim Niasse, in Senegal, when they were killed.

The national secretary of the Islamic group, Sayyidi Yahaya, said the Ansariddeen members were “randomly selected and cold-bloodedly shot to death in a most horrendous display of bestiality” after being stopped by the Burkinabe soldiers.

Entertainment

NIDCOM secures retrial for Nigerian wrongfully jailed in Cote d’Ivoire

March 20, 2021 No Comments

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has revealed that the retrial of a Nigerian, Itunu Babalola, said to have been wrongfully incarcerated in Cote D’lvoire, is to commence under a new, unbiased prosecutor.

This was contained in a statement signed by Mr Gabriel Odu, the commission’s Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit officer, in Abuja, on Friday, March 19.

According to him, following painstaking investigations by the commission and the Nigeria Mission in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, it had now been confirmed that Babalola, a Nigerian living in Abidjan, was wrongfully charged and incarcerated for a crime she did not commit.

Also, the Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, Abike Dabiri-Erewa said the Charge D’Affaires of the Nigerian Mission in Côte D’Ivoire, Mr Mohammed Gana, had sent officials of the mission to Bondoukou, a city eight hours away from Abidjan when the case was first brought to his attention.

Gana was quoted as saying that plans were underway to engage the services of a lawyer, to prove the innocence of Babalola at the Court of Appeal.

Ripples Nigeria gathered that the accused had spent two out of the 10-year jail term passed on her, for an offense she did not commit.

“Reports indicate that the new prosecutor, assigned to the case, has given assurances of a fair and unbiased review and retrial of the case, to secure the release of Babalola.

“The reports also indicate that the former prosecutor, in collaboration with the police, allegedly twisted the case and accused Babalola of human trafficking hence her conviction for 20 years, although the sentence was reduced to 10 years from which she has served 2 years so far.

“Babalola, whose family is from Oyo State, Nigeria, has been living in Bondoukou, Cote d’Ivoire, for a long time but got entangled in a legal battle, when she reported the burglary of her house to the police.

On efforts made to secure her bail, the prosecutor said it is only the court that can grant her bail, as she has already been convicted, we will continue to monitor the case as it unfolds,” he said.

Lifestyle

Your voices have been heard, says NiDCOM to youths protesting police brutality

October 17, 2020 No Comments

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), on Friday said that the voices of Nigerian youths protesting Police Brutality have been heard by government and results will be achieved soon.

Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO of NiDCOM, told the press during a courtesy visit by some members of Diaspora Youths Group to her office in Abuja. She told the group to give government the opportunity and chance to serve Nigerians. “I commend the Nigerian youths for demonstrating that we are a united nation, and that what binds us together is deeper than what separate us, the government is proud of you for standing with one voice to speak against what you call police brutality. “I think your call for the reformation of the police is a low hanging fruit but it can be a catalyst to institutional reform in Nigeria. “Also, a catalyst to demanding the best of ourselves, a catalyst to be on the part way of building the true Nigeria of our dreams and I believe so.

We have heard your cry and government will still continue to listen to you, this problem did not start with Muhammandu Buhari’s administration but I am very optimistic that it will be solved in this administration,’’ she said. Dabiri-Erewa also appealed to all Nigerian youths to remain non-violent while protesting by looking to the future to be better, “even the Inspector-General of Police said that nobody should be harassed or killed because you are protesting, but let your protest be violence free’’. She also urged the group to use the same zeal to fight corruption by saying we want great things to happen in our great country Nigeria. Speaking earlier, Ibrahim Magaji, the CEO of Digital Green Intercontinental UK, who led the group, said that their mission is to express concerns with respect to the ongoing police brutality protest in country. Magaji said that Nigeria is the giant of Africa not only to citizens but to neighbouring countries which in turn looks up to Nigeria as a support pillar. “We owe the rest of Africa this responsibility by protecting our global image and proving to the world that our diversity is not a challenge but our strength.

This is a clear indication of how the youths feel about the constant harassment by SARS. Not all youths are bad, some of us are entrepreneurs and we run our businesses. “So we are raising our voices to the right authority to address the issue,’’ he said However, he said that though government has made a move by changing the name from SARS to SWAT, they forget that it would not change their attitude. The police need to be reformed. “This is trending in the social media and the world is watching which will in turn affect us in the diaspora. Rukayya Ibrahim, Senior Assistant Registrar for Baze University, Abuja, applauded the commission for giving the group the platform for the conversation to take place. She said “the general feeling of Nigerians is that of frustration. We cannot deny that, all we are asking the government is to show us the same support we gave this government during the 2015 election.