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

Top AK Party official likens Gülen’s stance on peace talks to that of Mandela

Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairman Hüseyin Çelik has expressed appreciation for Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen’s support for ongoing talks with the terrorist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), likening Gülen’s remarks to those of South African politician Nelson Mandela. In his latest weekly speech, broadcast on website Herkul.org last Sunday, Gülen said as long […]

3-month-old with oral disease also under arrest as parents imprisoned over coup charges

Under arrest along with his mother since April 27, three-month-old Betul A. has been suffering from oral thrush in prison, her grandfather told Turkish media. With her father, Ali İhsan also under arrest over similar charges, Betul is kept under mother’s care in prison.

Parallel vs. Persian structure within the Turkish state

Despite all these accusations, the Erdoğan government has not produced any evidence to substantiate his allegations of a parallel structure within the judiciary, police or any other state institution, nor of officials receiving orders from anywhere other than their own legal superiors, nor has he or his government brought any of these charges to court.

As Turkey Gears Up to Vote, Its ‘Traitors’ Speak Out

In Turkey, a national trauma has turned into a never-ending nightmare for hundreds of thousands of citizens. Erdogan aimed to root out all Gulen sympathizers and turn them into what one local columnist called “socially dead people.” The government’s crackdown has extended well beyond the Gulenists. Leftist activists, Kurdish politicians, and dissenting academics have all been targeted.

Despite obstacles, Kimse Yok Mu delivers aid to thousands worldwide

In spite of smear campaigns targeting it for two years and the government attempting to prevent it from continuing with its charitable works, the Kimse Yok Mu foundation successfully delivered aid to families in nearly 30 countries for last week’s Eid al-Adha holiday.

US calls decision by Turkey to seize Zaman newspaper ’troubling’

“We see this as the latest in a series of troubling judicial and law enforcement actions taken by the Turkish government targeting media outlets and others critical of it,” State Department spokesman John Kirby told a news briefing.

Latest News

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

University refuses admission to woman jailed over Gülen links

In Case You Missed It

Kimse Yok Mu extends a hand to Syrian refugees in Turkey

Moldovan orphans demand Kimse Yok Mu assistance continue

Ethio-Turkish businesswomen to strengthen business ties

Jews, Muslims Bond Over Shared Values

Erdogan: The Sultan of an illusionary Ottoman Empire

The Muslim Martin Luther? Fethullah Gulen Attempts an Islamic Reformation

Islamic scholar Gülen calls on praying for Palestinians, Syrians

Copyright 2023 Hizmet News