The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has called for the immediate release of 42 Nigerians recently detained at a spare parts market in Mozambique, raising concerns that the arrests may have been a “xenophobic attack on Nigerian citizens.”
Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the chairman and chief executive officer of the commission, described the incident as disturbing, noting that no formal charges have reportedly been filed against the affected Nigerians.
“If they run afoul of the law, the authorities should arraign and charge them before a court of law,” Dabiri-Erewa said in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, signed by the agency’s Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun.
She added that the reported selective targeting of Nigerians suggests a xenophobic motive and urged Mozambican authorities to either release the detainees immediately or follow proper legal procedures.
According to the commission, the Nigerians were singled out at the market while other traders present were left untouched, with no explanation provided for the detentions. The statement further noted that the detainees are legal residents and that the attorney general reportedly had no knowledge of any charges against them.
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Dabiri-Erewa also alleged that some of the detainees were beaten, had their personal belongings taken, and that several have fallen ill and need medical attention. She called on Mozambican authorities to urgently address the situation and ensure the safety and rights of the Nigerian citizens.
The commission’s concerns echo past incidents of xenophobic attacks against Nigerians in Southern Africa. In 2019, members of the Nigerian community in South Africa were targeted during a wave of xenophobic violence, prompting retaliatory actions against South African businesses in Nigeria and a temporary closure of South African diplomatic missions in the country.
This latest episode adds to ongoing worries about the safety of Nigerians living and working in parts of Southern Africa.