National Council of Women’s Societies (NCWS) have decried incessant killings of Nigerians in diaspora without proper investigation of alleged suspects or satisfactory response from host countries.
The National President, NCWS, Dr Gloria Shoda, in a statement described it as worrisome, calling for proper investigation and prosecution of suspects implicated of the crimes.
“We will recall that over the past few years, for example, several Nigerians who reside and work in South Africa, pay their taxes and go about their daily businesses, sadly have lost their lives in suspicious and controversial circumstances.
“There are several reports of Nigerians who were killed in local communities or allegedly at the hands of the police.
“We have not heard of anyone being held responsible and prosecuted for any of these dastardly acts visited upon Nigerian citizens,” she said.
The president refered to recent death of the Deputy Director-General of Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria, Mrs Elizabeth Ndubuisi- Chukwu, who was found dead in her hotel room in Johannesburg, as “unfortunate”.
“We have been reliably informed that with the unfortunate death of Mrs Ndubuisi-Chukwu, the number of Nigerians who died in South Africa in suspicious circumstances have risen to 127 in the last three and a half years.
“This year alone in March and April, four Nigerians were killed in violent circumstances and there is yet to be any clues about who was behind these deaths.,” she said.
The Council, however, called for investigation of the death of a PhD Student, Thomas Ewansiha in Malaysia, who allegedly died in custody of Immigration, while on detention on July 5.
“As mothers, wives and sisters, we are saying no more killing of Nigerians in foreign lands and we demand that thorough investigations be carried out to know what actually occurred.
“We also call on our foreign missions through the Federal Government to continue to dialogue with their local counterparts in the countries of diplomatic operation to ensure the fundamental human rights of Nigerian residents are fully respected and protected,” she said.
She, therefore, urged investigating authorities to ” uncover the truth and ensure full investigation” into the deaths of Nigerians in the diaspora to enable justice to prevail.
