NIDCOM Demands the Immediate Release of 42 Nigerians Arrested in Mozambique Over Baseless Allegations

In a statement signed by the Director of Media, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) on behalf of its Chairman, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the commission expresses worry over what it tagged the baseless and unwarranted arrest of 42 Nigerians in Mozambique.

According to NIDCOM, Nigerians who owned businesses in a spare parts market were handpicked for arrest, with no allegations or explanations for their detention.

In the press statement shared on the NIDCOM's X (formerly Twitter) page, the commission described the actions of the Mozambican police as a xenophobic act targeted at Nigerians. The statement also added that the arrested Nigerians were beaten and their belongings stolen from them.

"Worried by the arrest of 42 Nigerians in Mozambique without any offenses levelled against them, Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has condemned such act and demanded for their immediate release.

In a statement in Abuja signed by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, the NIDCOM boss, said that it is distasteful to learn that only Nigerians were allegedly handpicked for arrest. She said if they run foul of the law, the authorities should arraign and charge them before a court of law.

She said the reported sudden and specific roundup of only Nigerians depicts a xenophobic attack on Nigerian citizens. Dabiri-Erewa therefore urged the Mozambican authorities to immediately release the arrested Nigerians or let the law take its course.

According to reports, the Nigerians were specifically singled out and arrested at a spare parts market, out of all the traders and individuals present in the market, without any allegations or explanations on why they were detained.

The Nigerians arrested have been confirmed to be legal residents, and the Attorney General is reportedly not aware of any charges against them. They were allegedly beaten, their personal belongings stolen, and many of them are said to have fallen sick and in need of medical attention.

E-signed Abdur-Rahman Balogun (mnipr)
Director of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, NIDCOM, Abuja"

This is the latest in the targetted harrassment of Nigerians in other African countries. In 2020, Nigerian traders were reported to have been attacked in Ghana, which led to a strong reaction from the Nigerian government.

In 2019, hundreds of Nigerians were evacuated from South Africa after xenophobic attacks on their businesses in Johannesburg. Also in 2024, there was the case of a South African-Nigerian Miss Chidimma Vanessa Onwe Adetshina, whose participation in the country's beauty pageant sparked controversy and xenophobic attacks.

Nigeria's lack of a decisive foreign policy has been blamed for the continuous harassment of its citizens in foreign countries. While NIDCOM serves as the commission that protects the interests of Nigerians in the diaspora, the prolonged absence of envoys in several countries has been described as a weakness in Nigeria's foreign policy.

President Tinubu recently approved the posting of career and non-career ambassadors to Nigerian embassies around the world. Amb. Onaga Ogechukwu Kingsley, a career diplomat, was posted to Mozambique. One of his first acts in office would be to engage the Mozambican government on the release of the arrested Nigerians.