‘We’re safer here than in Nigeria’

A GROUP of Nigerians held a protest on Sunday against unfounded claims by a senior government official in their home country that Nigerians are being killed in North Cyprus on a regular basis.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, the chair of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, sparked controversy when she said that Nigerians are “being killed daily” in the TRNC, as reported last week by this newspaper.

She also warned Nigerian students to “think twice” before deciding to study in North Cyprus.

Members of the Nigerian Community in Northern Cyprus (NCNC) group held a protest in Lefkoşa against the comments made by Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

They held aloft placards bearing messages in Turkish and English such as “Nigerians are safer in Northern Cyprus than in Northern Nigeria”, “Stop misinformation about Northern Cyprus” and “[Turkish] Cypriot police are truly our friends”.

NCNC president Isaac Ifetoluwa Ajayi, who read out a statement at the gathering, said that he believes Abike Dabiri-Erewa’s remarks about North Cyprus are due to “misinformation by some students”.

NCNC Lefkoşa coordinator Daniel Oyelaja said: “North Cyprus is safer than any part of Africa . . . We are in safe hands in Northern Cyprus.

“All Nigerians living in this country and Northern Cyprus deserve an apology from Abike Dabiri for the concern this misinformation has created among our friends and family.”