Reps to probe killing of Nigerians abroad

By Umar Muhammad Puma

The House of Representatives has resolved to probe the activities of the federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Embassies on the roles played in cases of xenophobic related killing of Nigerians abroad, just as he called on the federal government call on the Federal Government to review upward its earlier allocation to the region from N2 billion to N12 billion.

The lawmakers decision was reached following a motion under the matters of urgent public importance moved by Rep. Abike Dabiri Erewa (APC, Lagos), on the attention of the House to incessant killing of Nigerians, especially those studying in other countries around the world.

Abike who chairs the House Committee on Diaspora matters revealed that in Ghana alone, four Nigerian students have been killed in mysterious circumstances in the last few months.

“In October, 2013, 15 year old Master Austin Chukwuebuka Ogukwe, an SS3 student of Ideal College Ghana died mysteriously. In November, barely 26 days after Master Ogukwe’s mysterious death, two Nigerian students, Eddy and Charles of KNUS Federal University Accra lost their lives during an excursion with their schools. They claimed they drowned”.

She further told the House that, ” just two weeks ago, Mr. Godwin Ayogu, a 300 level social science student of University of Cape Coast, Central region was brutally killed on 20th February and his lifeless body was found on campus”.

Aside the cases recorded in Ghana, Hon. Abike further gave instances of similar ugly events in countries like Russia, South Africa, Malaysia, UAE among others where Nigerians studying abroad had been killed with impunity.

The motion was amended with resolutions that the House Committees on Diaspora matters, Foreign Affairs, Justice and Human Rights conduct a public hearing with a view to finding out the causes of the ugly development as well as the role of the Ministry and Embassies in handling each case.

Similarly, the House also mandated its committee on appropriation to also find ways of increasing the allocation in the 2014 budget’s Sinking Fund for Infrastructural Development, which is under the Capital supplementation head.

The lawmakers decision was reached sequel to a motion under the matters of urgent national importance moved by Rep Abdurrahman Terab (APC, Borno) who said that the N2 billion contribution by the federal government for the rebuilding process could not be adequate to address the huge economic challenges of the region.

According to him, “funds provided for future purposes under the capital Supplementation. Head of the 2014 budget do not compare in priority when the country is losing One Sixth of its territory to unimaginable magnitude of destruction.

Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal while ruling on the matter said the appropriation committee would have to look inward and find ways of increasing the amount, without having to take N10 billion from the Sinking Fund in the budget.

Tambuwal tasked the committee find avenue of increasing the amount, saying that since the House agreed for the review of the allocation, there would not be specific amount for the monies to be increased.