By Adeyinka Adeniran
Yoruba nation activist, Chief Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, on Monday, raised the alarm over alleged deaths and torture of some Nigerians in Egyptian Prisons.
He urged President Bola Tinubu through the Nigerian In Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) to intervene saying many Nigerians are currently held in Egypt Prison for immigration offences.
Igboho spoke through his Spokesperson, Olayomi Koiki in a statement made available to The Nation.
According to the statement, the Yoruba Nation Activist said he has been inundated with calls from several people who are victims of what he described as inhuman treatment melted to Nigerians in custody without any intervention from the Nigerian Embassy in Cairo.
The statement reads: “I have been receiving calls in the last two weeks from some of these detained Nigerians and their relatives over degrading and inhuman treatment they are facing without any intervention from the Nigerian Embassy in Cairo.
“I’m pleading with President Bola Tinubu, who is compassionate and has a listening ear to come to the rescue of these helpless Nigerians.
“While I don’t condone any form of illegality, I feel pained and worried over their pathetic situation. But timely intervention of our president at this crucial time can still save the detainees from further suffering and imminent deaths.
“Unfavourable economic condition in Nigeria, which became aggravated during the eight-year tenure of former President Muhammadu Buhari further forced many Nigerians who cannot afford to relocate to Europe and United States of America due to excruciating hardship to travel by roads to Egypt, Libya, Morocco and other African countries in search of greener pastures.
“If successive governments at the federal level before the advent of Tinubu’s presidency had created enabling socioeconomic atmosphere for individuals to explore their potentials and provided good governance, Nigerians in their thousands will not be leaving the country for uncertainty in foreign countries.
“In the same vein, contending issues of nepotism, inequalities among ethnic groups, political domination by a section of Nigeria, absence of true federalism and corruption which somehow fuelled agitation for self determination by some groups will not have come up if our leaders had implemented policies to address these national challenges.
“While some of these citizens gained entry into these African countries through legitimate means, others adopted illegal methods out of their desperation to exit Nigeria due to stifling economic condition amidst frustration and debilitating poverty. But I am begging President Bola Tinubu to deploy diplomatic measures in securing the freedom of these Nigerians.
“The critical involvement of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) headed by Honourable Abike Dabiri-Arewa in the pitiable condition of these categories of Nigerians is key to ensuring that the needful is done to address this problem. NIDCOM has been involved in protecting the fundamental human rights of Nigerians in diaspora with accolades.
“Testimonies are abound on the effectiveness of NIDCOM in assisting Nigerian citizens in distress. They should please swing into action to salvage our people trapped in prisons not only in Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Africa, but other countries, “the statement concluded.
