- NiDCOM Recovers Passports, Plans Repatriation of Nigerians in CAR
- The agent allegedly responsible for their situation has also been identified
- Victims forced to work for 11 months without pay
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) has successfully intervened in the case of several Nigerians reportedly subjected to forced labor and abuse in the Central African Republic (CAR), the commission announced today.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the action was taken in response to a distress call shared through a viral video on social media.
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NiDCOM stated that it has made contact with the affected individuals, recovered their seized passports, and is arranging their transfer to the Nigerian Embassy in Bangui, the capital of CAR.
The agent allegedly responsible for their situation has also been identified.
“The attention of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has been drawn to the distress call in a viral video where some Nigerians were allegedly maltreated in Central Africa Republic (CAR),” stated Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit at NiDCOM, in a press statement released on Thursday.
According to the statement, the affected Nigerians were reportedly “deceived and abandoned in a foreign land, forced to work for 11 months without pay. Their passports were confiscated, leaving them stranded.” They had urgently appealed to the Nigerian government for intervention and rescue.
Upon becoming aware of the situation, NiDCOM “immediately contacted officials of the embassy in the CAR to look into the matter,” Balogun confirmed.
NiDCOM has lauded the swift action by the Nigerian Embassy in CAR. “It is gratifying to inform members of the public that contact has been established with them and their seized passports retrieved, while plans are on to send a bus to convey them to the embassy in Bangui, which is at least an eight-hour drive,” the statement read.
Balogun further added, “The agent in question has also been identified.”
NiDCOM expressed its gratitude to the Nigerian Embassy officials in CAR for their prompt and decisive response to the distress call. “This is to express the appreciation of the Commission to the officials of the Nigerian Embassy for their swift action,” the press release concluded.
Details about the exact number of Nigerians involved and the identity of the alleged agent responsible have not yet been disclosed, as arrangements for their safe return to Nigeria are still being finalized.
