Friday 19 July 2013

Nigerians Protest Police Harassment In Nairobi

SOME Nigerians residing in Kenya yesterday threatened to take upon themselves to cut diplomatic ties claiming police are harassing them.
The Nigerians said they will engineer the move if their government does not back them because police have arrested more then 50 of their countrymen in the last one month.
Protesting at their High Commission in Nairobi, the more than 60 protesters said if the government does not want them in the country, they should be given three weeks to pack and leave but warned that there will be consequences.
Through their spokesman Joe Oladimeji, they demanded for the immediate withdrawal of their commissioner, Akim Oyateru, saying he has not defended them.
Oladimeji said immigration officers have told them that they are unwanted in Kenya. He said seven of them were turned away at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Sunday. 
"As we are talking now, three of our fellow Nigerians have been detained at JKIA. Our commissioner does not seem to be addressing our issues," he said. 
Oladimeji said their houses have been raided by police for no good reason and household goods taken on allegations that they are drug dealers.
He said when they are arrested, they are asked to pay between Sh500,000 and Sh1 million bail.
The Nigerian said they are good citizens and the police should not stereotype all of them as drug dealers.
"I am married to a Kenyan and I have four children. Who will feed my family when I am bundled in a plane and deported without a good reason, only to be branded a drug dealer?" Oladimeji said.
He said things got worse when President Uhuru said drug dealers should be deported. Oladimeji said their commissioner, Oyateru, had promised to help them but things were getting worse everyday.
Oyateru could not be reached for comment as he was said to be in Nigeria.

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