The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has denied the allegation it was working secretly with some agents of foreign countries to arrest members of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) in diaspora and deport them to Nigeria for persecution and prosecution.
MASSOB had in a statement titled, “Security agents killing our members secretly,” alleged that NIDCOM was being used to crack down its pro-Biafra groups leaders in the diaspora.
But, the Chairman of the commission, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in a statement issued yesterday by NIDCOM Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Mr. Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said the commission was not established for the deportation of Biafrans.
She added that the Commission was for all Nigerians irrespective of their tribes or religious inclinations as enshrined in the Act of the Parliament setting up the Commission.
Dabiri-Erewa said, “The attention of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), and her Chairman/CEO, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has been drawn to a malicious, mischievous and fabulous story where the leader of the proscribed Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Uchenna Madu, falsely alleged that NIDCOM is the medium being used by the Federal government to forcefully deport persecuted Biafrans.
“These and other fabricated stories by this discredited group are false, mischievous and at best another tales by moonlight narrative.
“NIDCOM, as we know has no such powers nor has such agents of harassment both in Nigeria and in the foreign lands.
“So, the allegation that the federal government is secretly working with some agents of foreign countries to arrest our members in diaspora and deport them to Nigeria for persecution and prosecution is a figment of the group imagination,” she added.
The chairman stressed that in international relations, the process of deportation is a country to country decision which lies with the country foreign policy within the purview of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Dabiri-Erewa pointed out that most countries were clamping down on irregular immigrants irrespective of their faith, ethnic or nationalities.
She said she had consistently been appealing to Nigerians to obey laws of the countries they reside and be good Ambassadors of Nigeria.