Nigeria’s House of Representatives wants Turkey to know that Nigerian lives matter


Date posted: October 10, 2016

Hadassah Egbedi

Over the past week, close to 50 Nigerian students have been arrested and detained in Turkey for their schools’ alleged ties to the botched coup attempt of July 15. Some others had their passports seized and were immediately deported upon arrival in Turkey for a new academic session. The Turkish government has been on a crackdown since the failed coup attempt three months ago, shutting down schools allegedly linked to the Gulen movement.

Weeks after the failed coup attempt in July, the Turkish government asked Nigeria to shut down 17 schools said to be linked to the Gülen movement. The request was made by the Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Hakan Çakil, who said Turkey had nothing to do with the schools and was separating itself from schools bearing the country’s name in Nigeria. Nigeria did not heed Turkey’s request, and this may have motivated Turkey’s recent behaviour towards Nigerian student.

Nigerian students in Turkey say that the Turkish government has declared a war on them and that they feel targeted, therefore they stay in hiding for fear of being arrested or deported. “We are scared of leaving our rooms for fear of being arrested and charged with terrorism, or deported. There is a man-hunt for Nigerian students in Turkey,” a student told The Cable.

In a sitting in Abuja last Tuesday, members of the House of Representatives expressed anger and discontent over the recent developments in Turkey as the issue was reported via a motion of urgent national importance. Rita Orji, Chairman, House Committee on Diaspora Matterstold Vanguard newspaper, that the detention of Nigerian students in Turkey was an insult to Nigeria and a disrespect of the country’s sovereignty.

“… This is an issue of how you respect the sovereignty and dignity of where they (Nigerian students) come from … Couldn’t they have called on the government of Nigeria before taking such drastic actions?” Orji asked. The House called on the federal government to promptly interfere and explore all diplomatic options to secure the release of the students from detention.

“It is high time we rise up to this challenge so people will know that the life of every Nigerian matters … the life and rights of every Nigerian student abroad matter,” she stated, adding that if nothing is done, other countries might toe the same line confident that they would not be held accountable when Nigerians are treated poorly.

Although the Permanent Secretary of Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Sola Enikanolaiye had said earlier that the government has met with Cakil, to demand the release of the detained students and also offer a reasonable explanation for Turkey’s behaviour towards them, there has been no response to that end.

Source: Ventures Africa , October 10, 2016


Related News

Samanyolu schools to sue 3 government officials over unlawful search warrant

Samanyolu Educational Institutions are preparing to file a criminal complaint against three government officials on charges of misconduct related to an unlawful warrant to inspect all private schools in Ankara through the end of the 2015-2016 academic year, Today’s Zaman has learned.

Erdogan advisor likens Turkey purge to Aborigine, Native American, Armenian cases

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s chief advisor, Mehmet Uçum, has said the Turkish state can apologize to the victims of a post-coup era purge and witch-hunt targeting the faith-based Gülen movement years after the events take place, as Australia did for the Aborigines, the US did for the Native Americans and Turkey did for the Armenians.

Gülen’s teachings discussed this time in New York

The academic world around the globe is holding conferences and symposia one after another to discuss the ideas and dialogue activities of Fethullah Gülen, one of the greatest Islamic scholars of our age. Following a conference titled “Muslim World in Transition: Contributions of the Gülen Movement” held in London in the last week of October, […]

Turkey’s Intelligentsia Kneels to Erdogan

This selective application of democratic rights by Turkey’s intelligentsia only helps Mr. Erdogan consolidate his power. In their double standards, he finds tacit approval for his purges. Turkey lacks not only sturdy institutions that guarantee a system of checks and balances and the rule of law, but also a critical mass of citizens with the courage and integrity to demand them.

First “Families Meeting” series concludes with a spectacular night

The first series of “Families Meeting” project, intended to bring together the members of diverse cultures, faiths and ethnicities and let them get to know each other, by Intercultural Dialogue Platform (KADIP) in cooperation with Foundation of Solidarity (DIDADER), came to an end with a final gathering at Syriac Catholic Church. Following the president of […]

Lawyers highlight attempt to pin unsolved murders on Gülen

The decision by the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office to re-examine cases of unsolved murders that took place between 2000 and 2013 is an attempt to pin the murders on Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen and the Hizmet movement, a grassroots civil society organization inspired by Gülen, the scholar’s lawyers have said.

Latest News

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Gulen`s Interview with the German Newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung

Overwhelming public response in support of Bank Asya

‘Inception,’ the Gülen community and the PKK

Report: Erdoğan’s anti-Turkish school rhetoric damages Turkish-African ties

‘Selam’ – We come in peace

Terrorists not true Muslims, says scholar

Erdoğan’s claims about Gülen stun US Ambassador Ricciardone

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News