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Members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday called for the intervention of Federal Government over the arrest and detention of 50 Nigerian Students in Istanbul Airport on arrival to pursue their educational career.
To this end, the lawmakers urged Federal Government to explore all diplomatic means of rescuing the students of Faith University, Istanbul and resolve the issues at stake.
The resolution was passed after robust debate on the motion sponsored by Solomon Muaren (PDP-Plateau), after which it was referred to the House Committees on Diaspora, Foreign Affairs, Interior and Education to investigate and report back to the House within six weeks for further legislative action.
In his lead debate, Mauren who called for the intervention of the House to forestall another death of innocent Nigerians, condemned the continuous humiliation of Nigerian Students and Nationals in various countries of the world without any diplomatic intervention by the Nigerian government.
Read also:https://businessday.ng/education/article/36-4-million-nigerian-students-affected-by-school-closures/
The lawmaker also lamented “the murder of Nigerian student in Dubai who was thrown from a multi-storey building, the case of our dear sister Julie who is bedridden in a rehabilitation home for the elderly and mentally ill in Italy due to Doctors torture and maltreatment, the death of a Nigeria student in Malaysia who died because his travels document could not be updated on time to enable him come back home for medical treatment and the many other cases of maltreatment and torture of Nigerian Students and Nationals around the globe on flimsy excuses.”
He recalled that the Turkish Ambassador in Nigeria had requested the Nigerian authorities to close down 17 Turkish schools in Nigeria for alleged links with the Himzet movement, which the government rejected the call due to lack of concrete evidence linking the schools or their proprietors with the failed coup.
“We are worried that these students are being held in a dark room and sleeping on bare floor. Some are sick already without any form of medication due to the condition in which they are illegally detained.
” Also worried that they are being forced into signing documents for deportation, forced to pay penalties on the allegation of entering the country illegally, humiliated and abuse.
“We are disturbed that of the 102 countries that have students in that university only Nigerian students are being treated in this manner, whereas other countries have sorted out theirs diplomatically.”
According to him, within the last one week, about 50 Nigerians have been arrested in Turkey and summarily deported home.
Also speaking in support of the motion, Rotimi Agunsoye (APC-Lagos) stressed the need for Nigeria should openly reprimand Turkey for its actions and demand formal apology.
In his contribution, a lawmaker from Kaduna State, Adams Jagaba, chairman, House Committee on Interior noted that it would be counterproductive for the lawmakers to preempt the actions of the executive which has the traditional duty of diplomatic relations with foreign nations.
