FG condemns pastor’s killing in China, demands probe

The chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa has demanded a thorough investigation into the death of a Nigerian pastor, Joseph Nwajueze in China.

She said the killing of the Anambra-born cleric by Chinese security operatives must be thoroughly investigated and the culprits punished.

The deceased was living with his wife, Chinwe and four children in China before he was allegedly killed by security operatives while trying to escape arrest for alleged visa violations.

But Dabiri-Erewa in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, by NIDCOM Head of Media, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said there was no justifiable reason for the killing.

She equally condemned the stigmatization of Nigerians living in China, saying those who were found guilty of the country’s laws should be prosecuted.

While condoling with the family of Nwajueze, she reiterated her resolve to ensure that justice was done.

The statement said, “Abike Dabiri-Erewa, however, appealed to angry Nigerians in China to be patient and not take the law into their hands as the Federal Government will ensure that justice is done.”

Meanwhile, the coordinator of the Centre for the Protection of Nigerians in the Diaspora has pleaded with Nigerian leaders to provide jobs to discourage young people from embarking on risky trips overseas.

The coordinator, Mr. Alexander Orji, in Lagos on Tuesday said that Nigerian youths were increasingly embarking on tragic but avoidable trips overseas.

Orji spoke on the development, while commenting on the International Youth Day, commemorated on Aug. 12 every year.
“Our leaders must do everything possible to dissuade our youths from the `I must travel’ syndrome because most of the foreign countries they aspire to go to are dead ends.

According to him, African and Nigerian youths want to travel abroad nowadays, forgetting that wealth and riches are not picked on the streets of other countries.

“The typical African youth of today want to make it big after seeing what their fellow African brothers are `enjoying’ overseas.

“They do not care about the huge risks involved, forgetting that all that glitter is not gold.

The coordinator said that it was so worrisome that every African youth wanted to head overseas, in spite of all the deaths and destructions taking place in overseas countries.

“There have been a number of times when Nigerians in the diaspora have made videos and sent home, just to keep the people who are still in Nigeria from making the mistakes they had.

“Our youths won’t listen because they want to leave the country and do not care about what price they pay, which is why many of our youths are being killed or enslaved overseas.

Orji advised Nigerian and African youths to look inwards to take advantage of the huge opportunities in their home countries.