By Our Correspondent in Abuja
The Chairman/CEO,the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM),Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa says the commission is not established to deport Biafrans.
She cleared the air while reacting to a media report, where the leader of the proscribed Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra(MASSOB),Uchenna Madu, alleged that NIDCOM was the medium being used by the Federal government to forcefully deport persecuted Biafrans.
The Commission’s boss described Madu’s allegation as “malicious, false, mischievous and at best, another tales by moonlight narrative.”
The Reporters, an online publication, recalls that in a statement entitled “Security agents killing our members secretly”, the group alleged that NIDCOM is being used to crack down its pro-Biafra groups leaders in the diaspora.
She said:”NIDCOM as we know has no such powers nor has such agents of harrasment, both in Nigeria and in the foreign lands.
“In international relations, the process of deportation is a country to country decision which lies with the country foreign policy within the purview of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“It must be pointed out that most countries are clamping down on irregular immigrants, irrespective of their faith, ethnic or nationalities.”
According to Abike Dabiri-Erewa,she has, however, consistently been appealing to Nigerians to obey laws of the countries they reside and be good Ambassadors of Nigeria.
“So, the allegation that “the Federal Government is secretly working with some agents of foreign countries to arrest our members in diaspora and deport them to Nigeria for persecution and prosecution” is a figment of the group imagination,” NIDCOM boss added.
Abdur-Rahman Balogun,Head, Media, Public Relations and Protocols Unit,NIDCOM, in a statement in Abuja on Friday qouted his boss as saying that NIDCOM “is for all Nigerians, irrespective of tribe or religious inclinations as enshrined in the Act of the Parliament setting up the Commission.”
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