NiDCOM Reacts To Video Of Nigerians Crying For Help In Central African Republic

The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has responded to a video showing a group of Nigerian men stranded in the Central African Republic (CAR), pleading for help.

In the video, the men claimed they were taken to CAR by a Chinese-owned mining company that promised them jobs, but things have gone badly since their arrival ten months ago.

They claimed they were arrested shortly after reaching the country, their passports were taken from them, and the company that brought them has since abandoned them.

‘’We came here through a mining company who brought us from Nigeria to come and work here. We have been here for ten months, We need the assistance of Nigerians to come and help us because the Chinese company has abandoned us. 

“We arrived in September last year. For four months, they delayed us in the capital city. We were arrested by the government and when we came out, they brought us to this bush.

“Without our passport, we cannot pass through their road because their law is very very strict. The distance between this place to Bangui is 850km. 

“Please Nigerians, if there is a way you can help us…Let them know some Nigerians have been abandoned in Central Africa,” the men said.

Reacting to the situation in a post on her X (formerly Twitter) handle, Dabiri-Erewa confirmed that Nigerian embassy officials in CAR have made contact with the group.

She said efforts are already underway to bring them back home, starting with arrangements for a bus to transport them to Bangui, the country’s capital.

The NIDCOM boss also confirmed that their seized passports have now been recovered from the Chinese company.

“Glad to announce that contact has been made with the Nigerians by officials of the Nigerian embassy in the CAR Arrangements are now underway to dispatch a bus to convey them to Bangui. Their passports have also been retrieved,” she wrote.

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KanyiDaily recalls that NiDCOM boss, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, recently urged Cape Verde’s authorities to release six Nigerian tourists who were recently detained in the country.