The German government plans to repatriate 12,000 Nigerians
who are seeking asylum in the country.
The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari
on Diaspora Affairs, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, disclosed this on Tuesday at the
public presentation of two books “From Libya with Tears’’ and “Practical News
and Feature Writing’’ written by former Managing Editor/Director of News Agency
of Nigeria, Mr Dele Bodunde.
Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa, represented by her Special Assistant on
Media, Mr Abdul-Rahman Balogun, said that the German Embassy in Nigeria had
intimated her office on plans to repatriate no fewer than 12,000 Nigerian
asylum seekers from the European country.
The presidential aide further said that about 128 Nigerians
died while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea. She described the
situation as unfortunate, noting that it showed Nigerians desperation to get to
Europe by all means.
“Just some days ago, 128 Nigerians died in the Mediterranean
sea out of 576. Most of them were from West African countries and they were on
their way to Europe.
“Now, this is an unfortunate incident and I think it is
better to remain in Nigeria and keep struggling, instead of making desperate
journeys that could take their lives,’’ the presidential aide said.
Dabiri-Erewa said some Nigerians had been trapped in Libya
and were subjected to various inhuman treatments and that only the intervention
of the Federal Government had ensured the return of many.
This post was first published on PUNCH
