A human rights group, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has sought support for the stranded Nigerian miners who were allegedly lured into travelling to the Central African Republic (CAR).
Commending the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) for rescuing them and bringing them to the safe premises of the Nigerian Embassy in that country, the group appealed to stakeholders within and outside Nigeria to assist NIDCOM in bringing the miners to Nigeria.
In a statement on Tuesday, MURIC’s executive director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, recalled that a viral video surfaced a few days ago showing some miners from Nigeria calling for help.
According to MURIC, they were allegedly tricked into travelling to the Central African Republic (CAR) to work at the mines and ended up stranded there.
“The stranded Nigerians were swiftly rescued through the intervention of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) under the able and dynamic leadership of Abike Dabiri, its chairman and chief executive officer.
“MURIC extols the head of NIDCOM for her good leadership traits. In the same vein, we laud the staff of the Nigerian embassy in Bangui, CAR, and the country’s security agencies for locating the miners and escorting them to the embassy. In particular, the embassy staff deserve encomiums for their hospitality.
“But it is not over until it is over. We appeal to local and international stakeholders to assist NIDCOM in finally bringing the miners to Nigeria.
“The federal government of Nigeria is capable of mobilising Nigerian airlines, philanthropists, business moguls and international stakeholders like the International Organisation For Migration (IOM) to assist in making this a fait accompli”, it added.
MURIC called for the immediate location, arrest and prosecution of the agent who lured them into the job scam, saying, “Even the Chinese collaborator should be traced by Interpol and made to face the music. No Nigerian deserves to go through this type of hardship.”
