Many Nigerians claiming to be stranded in UAE are freed criminals – Dabiri-Erewa

The Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has lamented that many of the Nigerians claiming they have been left stranded in United Arab Emirates are freed criminals who had served various jail sentences (ranging from drugs to credit card frauds, robberies, among others.

Dabiri-Erewa said this in a statement issued on Thursday by the Commission’s Head of Media, Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun.

NIDCOM boss, while warning Nigerians who illegally travelled to the UAE and are stranded there not to make an already bad case worse by resorting to media blackmail, said in line with its citizens diplomacy, the federal government had approved the evacuation of over 300 Nigerians stranded in the UAE.

Regrettably, she said many of those affected have not been totally cooperative as they refused to follow the laid down procedures.

She added that investigations also revealed that over 100 Nigerians who had served various jail sentences (ranging from drugs to credit card frauds, robberies etc.) suddenly landed at the holding centres, demanding of the Nigerian consulate in Dubai to “immediately “bring them back. Their voices have been the loudest.”

Dabiri-Erewa decried that rather than complying with the directives of the Nigerian consulate in Dubai, some Nigerians were busy pursuing a media blackmail of the federal government as well as the UAE government. This media blackmail, she said, will make an already bad case, worse, noting that rules on such cases would not be circumvented.

Dabiri-Erewa who recalled that several warnings were made to Nigerians, particularly on the zero tolerance of the UAE for the consequences of flouting their rules, added that the allegation that Nigerians were abandoned in Dubai is completely untrue and misleading as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigerian Mission have been working assiduously with the UAE authorities to assist over 300 Nigerians stranded in the country for various reasons, ranging from overstay, lost passports, lack of documentation especially in the case of infants, to pending cases with the Emirati Police.

She however advised Nigerians so affected to comply with the laid down rules and regulations as havestipulated by the UAE and the Nigeria Consulate in Dubai, and await further communication from officials of the mission who constantly visited them at the holding centre.