********NIDO Africa Chairman Condemns Arrest of 42 Nigerians in Mozambique, Demands Urgent Explanation
The Continental Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Organization (NIDO) Africa, Professor Jude Osakwe, has issued a strong condemnation following the arrest and detention of forty-two (42) Nigerian nationals by Mozambican authorities. Professor Osakwe described the incident as deeply troubling, raising serious concerns about the motivations behind the targeted roundup and suggesting that it may carry the hallmarks of a xenophobic attack against Nigerian citizens.
According to reports, the Nigerians were specifically singled out and arrested at a spare parts market, a detail that Professor Osakwe found particularly alarming. He questioned why, out of all the traders and individuals present in the market, only Nigerian nationals were taken into custody, and why, several days after their arrest, no official reason had been communicated to the detainees or their representatives.
“The suspicious thing is that only Nigerians were arrested since Saturday, and up until now, no one has been informed of the reason for their detention,” Professor Osakwe stated, underscoring the lack of transparency on the part of Mozambican authorities.
In his remarks, the NIDO Africa Chairman made clear that the organization is not prepared to accept silence from either Mozambican officials or Nigerian diplomatic representatives. He issued a formal demand to the Mozambican authorities to provide a full and credible explanation for the arrests, insisting that the Nigerian community abroad deserves to know on what legal grounds the detentions were made and what charges, if any, are being leveled against those arrested.
Professor Osakwe also turned his attention to the Nigerian Embassy in Mozambique, delivering a stern rebuke over what he described as a pattern of inaction in the face of threats to Nigerians living abroad. He drew a parallel with a separate, unresolved incident involving Nigerians in Mauritius, expressing deep frustration that the Embassy had yet to take any meaningful steps to address that situation either. For Professor Osakwe, these back-to-back incidents paint a troubling picture of diplomatic neglect.
“The embassy cannot just sit back and watch Nigerians being molested,” he warned, making it unequivocally clear that the protection of Nigerian citizens abroad is a non-negotiable responsibility of Nigerian diplomatic missions. He urged Embassy officials to treat the Mozambique case as a matter of urgent priority, engage directly with Mozambican authorities, and ensure that the detained Nigerians have access to proper legal representation and consular support.
NIDO Africa has signalled that it will continue to monitor the situation closely and press for the immediate release of those detained, pending a satisfactory explanation.
As of the time of this report, neither the Mozambican authorities nor the Nigerian Embassy had issued a formal public statement on the matter.