NIDCOM Demands Due Process for 42 Nigerians in Mozambique

The Nigerian Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has demanded due process for 42 Nigerians reportedly detained in Mozambique. In a statement issued on Thursday from Abuja, NIDCOM's spokesman, Abdur Rahman Balogun, highlighted that the Mozambican National Criminal Investigation Service denied the detention of these Nigerians.

NIDCOM expressed concern that the Nigerian High Commission in Mozambique had not been formally notified of the arrests. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NIDCOM, received distress calls from families of the detainees, who reported that personal belongings, including mobile phones and money, were confiscated at the time of arrest.

Dabiri-Erewa urged the Mozambican authorities to either formally charge the Nigerians in court or release them immediately, emphasizing that the Nigerian government does not condone criminal activities by its citizens abroad and insists that no Nigerian should be detained without being informed of the alleged offenses. The names of the detainees were also released, including Augustin Okek, Maximu Anayo, and others.