By Desire Emmanuel
Forty out of 42 Nigerians who were arrested and locked up for weeks in Mozambique have been deported back to Nigeria.
The fate of the remaining two Nigerians is currently unknown as information indicated that one of them is married to a Mozambican while the other was born in the country.
It would be recalled that the 42 Nigerians were arrested at their various business locations and locked up in prison despite possessing valid residency documents.
The deportation of the 40 Nigerians was announced by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) on Tuesday, March 31, as it said the country didn’t “follow due process in deporting them.”
It was gathered that the deported Nigerians arrived the country in three batches of 13, 16 and 11 aboard a South African Airways flight, SA60 and Ethiopian Airline on March 24, 26 and 27.
Some of the deportees who were received by NIDCOM staff in Lagos claimed that their money and some other valuables were taken from them while in detention and they were not given back to them upon deportation. They also alleged that huge amounts of money were also taken from their mobile Apps.
During their arrest, some of them alleged that their apprehensions were carried out without prior notice, insisting they had complied with all legal requirements to live and work in Mozambique.
They further claimed they were detained for several days before being processed for deportation.
“It is saddening that while all of these were going on, the Mozambican authorities did not reach out to the Nigerian Embassy while all emissaries from the embassy were rebuffed,” NIDCOM said in the statement.
