Diplomatic tension is increasing between Nigeria and Mozambique following the deportation of 13 Nigerians without any known offence, with 29 others reportedly still detained in Maputo.
This comes as the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) calls for justice and fair treatment for the affected citizens.
According to Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols at NiDCOM, thirteen of the 42 Nigerians previously arrested in Mozambique have now been deported, despite no formal charges or offences being brought against them.
While Mozambican authorities claimed the Nigerians lacked proper documentation, findings showed that all the deportees, except one whose visa had expired just a day before deportation, had valid and complete travel and residence documents.
Receiving the deportees at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos on behalf of NiDCOM Chairman/CEO Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Mr Dipo Odebowale stated that the treatment of the Nigerians was unfair, expressing hope that Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs would formally engage his Mozambican counterpart on the matter.
The returnees were welcomed back into Nigeria, with NiDCOM expressing sympathy over their experience and encouraging them to remain hopeful despite the ordeal.
The deportees, who arrived via South African Airways flight SA60, reported that they were arrested at their respective business premises in Maputo, detained without committing any offence, despite holding valid documents permitting their continued residence in Mozambique.
They further stated that 29 Nigerians remain incarcerated in Maputo and called for urgent intervention on their behalf.
Among the deportees were all adult males, who sought assistance from the Commission to secure justice and redress for the injustices they endured.
Dabiri-Erewa, while urging Nigerians to obey the laws of countries where they reside, emphasised that no Nigerian should be punished for an offence they did not commit.