FG Sets To Blacklist Northern Cyprus Over “Incessant Killings” Of Nigerian Students

The Federal Government is set to blacklist Northern Cyprus and to forbid parents from sending their children to that country to study following incessant and mysterious killings of Nigerian students in that country.

The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, dropped the hint after receiving a petition over the reported killing of the son of a Nigerian judge schooling in Northern Cyprus.

Amina Bello, a judge and mother of Ibrahim Khaleel, the Nigerian student, who was allegedly murdered in the country had led a delegation to the headquarters of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission in Abuja, on Monday.

Dabiri-Erewa, while receiving the petition, warned parent against sending their children and wards to Northern Cyprus for schooling, saying that the death of Khaleel, a third-year engineering student, is one out of the incessant killings involving Nigerian students in the country.

She said that the matter was already being handled by the International Police (InterPol) through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.

In a tweet in her twitter handle, Dabiri-Erewa said, “I received a petition from Justice Bello, whose son Ibrahim Khaleel, a 25 year old student was killed in Northern Cyprus.

“Too many Nigerian students have died mysteriously in Northern Cyprus, a country not recognized by the UN. Only recognized by Turkey.

“The matter is already with the Interpol, courtesy of the AGF. Several Nigerian students, and many black students have died mysteriously in Northern Cyprus in the last few years .

“We will not relent until we get answers”, she tweeted.

“The death of Ibrahim Khaleel should be the tipping point to a stop in the killing of our children anywhere in the world, particularly Northern Cyprus,” she said.

“It is not only Ibrahim. Kennedy Dede 28, Augustine Ngok, Gabriel Sorewei, Osabanjo Owoyale, Augustine Wallace, Stanley Eteno, Hassan Babatunde, Temitayo Adigun, and Kubat Abraham are just a few of the ones that we even know.

“The problem is that most Nigerian parents do not know that Northern Cyprus is not recognised by any country in the world. It is not a UN-recognised country. It is only recognised by Turkey.

“That is why we have not been able to do much. Who do you report to? Thousands of Nigerian students are schooling there and I tell you that hundreds have been killed. Who do you take these cases to?

“And they are killed in similar circumstances. The school just tells you ‘well, they committed suicide’ and nothing happens.

“We are going to list all these names of Nigerians that have been killed and we demand justice. There has been no prosecution and no compensation. No Nigerian parent should send their children to any university in Northern Cyprus – there is a collaboration which we do not understand that makes them kill blacks, particularly our Nigerian students.”

Dabiri-Erewa assured the mother of the deceased student that the commission would work with her to demand justice, not only for her son but also for other Nigerians who have been killed while studying in that country.

“We have written the NUC. The key thing is to blacklist Northern Cyprus and to stop our children from going to that country to study,” she said.

“We will be working with the NUC to list all the universities in Northern Cyprus and blacklist them. We cannot be letting them kill our children.”

She added there were plans by NIDCOM to visit Northern Cyprus after the COVID-19 pandemic “to see things as clearly as they were”.