25th August, 2020
By Nimot Adetola Sulaimon
Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has alerted and warned Nigerian parents against sending their children to universities in Northern Cyprus over the incessant killings of Nigerians.
She gave the warning on August 24 after she called for justice over the death of Ibrahim Khaleel, a third-year engineering student, in Cyprus.
According to her, it was too risky to send children to the schools there as Nigerian students had been killed there mysteriously without any conclusive investigations carried out.
Dabiri-Erewa said these when she received a delegation led by Justice Amina Bello, mother of Ibrahim Khaleel, who was allegedly killed in inexplicable circumstances in that country.
The NIDCOM boss read out 15 names of Nigerians from a list of more than 100 who were killed in the country.
“The death of Ibrahim Khaleel should be the tipping point to a stop in the killing of our children anywhere in the World, particularly Northern Cyprus.
“It is not only Ibrahim. Kennedy Dede 28, Augustine Ngok, Gabriel Sorewei, Osabanjo Owoyale, Augustine Wallace, Stanley Eteno, Hassan Babatunde, Temitayo Adigun, and Kubat Abraham are just a few of the ones that we even know.
“The problem is that most Nigerian parents do not know that Northern Cyprus is not recognised by any country in the world.
“It is not an UN-recognised country. It is only recognised by Turkey.
“That is why we have not been able to do much. Who do you report to? Thousands of Nigerian students are schooling there and I tell you that hundreds have been killed. Who do you take these cases to?
“And they are killed in similar circumstances. The school just tells you ‘well, they committed suicide’ and nothing happens.
“We are going to list all these names of Nigerians that have been killed and we demand justice. There has been no prosecution and no compensation.
“No Nigerian parent should send their children to any university in Northern Cyprus – there is a collaboration which we do not understand that makes them kill blacks, particularly our Nigerian students,” she said.
Meanwhile, the case has been transferred to INTERPOL through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation.
Abike assured the mother of the deceased student that the commission will demand justice, not only for her son but also for other Nigerians, who have been killed while studying in that country.