The House of Representatives on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to quickly intervene and ensure the rescue of 50 Nigerian students detained by the Turkish Government.
This followed the unanimous adoption of a motion under matters of urgent public importance moved by Hon. Solomon Maren.
Moving the motion, Maren expressed worry over the continued detention of the students over alleged link with terrorists group accused of masterminding the failed coup in Turkey.
It would be recalled that 50 Nigerian students arrested in September and detained at Istanbul Airport on their arrival to pursue their education.
Maren urged the Federal Government to explore diplomatic channels to rescue the students as well as conduct an investigation into their alleged link with terrorism.
According to Maren, the students are being forced into signing documents for deportation, forced to pay penalties on the allegation of entering the country illegally, humiliated and abused.
Maren said: “There is need for quick intervention so that the children will be rescued.
“In this regard, the Federal Government should deploy all the diplomatic channels to rescue the detained Nigerian students.
Contributing to the motion, Hon. Nnanna Igbokwe suggested that the House Committees on Education, Foreign Affairs and Interior be involved in the matter to engender holistic investigation.“If urgent steps are not taken to checkmate this ugly trend of humiliation, abuse and extortion, these students may have their career truncated, thereby leading them into crime and destruction of human resources required for the growth of the country.”
Igbokwe said the arrest might be connected with the Federal Government’s refusal to close down all Turkish schools operating in Nigeria.
Similarly, the Chairman, House Committee on Tertiary Education, Aminu Suleiman, said that the Turkish Government was on a vendetta mission.
Suleiman recalled that the Turkish Ambassador in Nigeria had requested the Federal Government to close down 17 Turkish schools for their alleged link with the ‘Hizmet’ movement.
Suleiman said: “The government rejected the call due to lack of concrete evidence linking the schools or their proprietors with the failed coup.”
Ruling on the motion, the Speaker, the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, referred the matter to Committees on Diaspora, Education and Interior to investigate and report back in one week.
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