FG To Evacuate Nigerians In China Over Maltreatment

The federal government has announced plans to evacuate Nigerians from China following reports of maltreatment in the hands of authorities in the Asian country.

According to the minister for foreign affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama who made the disclosure, he said the move became necessary after reports of maltreatment kept coming in despite the assurance of the China envoy to look into the matter.

“After we had made a statement in the media, I have continued to receive information from Nigerians in China and I engaged directly with our officials in Guangzhou and people who were on the ground.

“And I must say that contrary to what we believed, that the situation had stabilised and was fully under control and there were no longer issues, it became apparent that there were still very distressing incidences and that it was almost as if it was an institutional attack on the rights and dignity of Nigerians and Africans there.”

“So, as I said, with confirmation from people who were there, I again, invited today (Friday), the Chinese Ambassador and presented these facts to him. I said ‘look, contrary to what was agreed, promises made and guarantees given, the situation does not seem to have ameliorated and this is totally unacceptable.’

“That we have stories of Nigerians who had been evicted from their residences and were unable to get back in; that they had been moved from where they were into more expensive hotels and Nigerians not being served when they went to restaurants and shopping malls. I told him this was totally unacceptable and something needed to be done.”