FG warns parents against sending children to Northern Cyprus schools

The Federal Government has warned parents against sending their children to universities in Northern Cyprus over the incessant and mysterious killing of blacks.

Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, gave the warning on Monday when she received in her office a delegation led by Justice Amina Bello, mother of a Nigerian student, Ibrahim Khaleel, who was allegedly killed in inexplicable circumstances in that country.

Dabiri-Erewa said the death of Khaleel, a third-year engineering student, was one out of the murder cases involving Nigerian students in the country.

She reeled out 15 names of Nigerians from a list of more than 100 killed in the country, saying it was difficult to employ international diplomacy in investigating the cases as the country is only recognised by Turkey.

“The death of Ibrahim Khaleel should be the tipping point to a stop in the killing of our children anywhere in the world, particularly Northern Cyprus,” she said.

“It is not only Ibrahim. Kennedy Dede 28, Augustine Ngok, Gabriel Sorewei, Osabanjo Owoyale, Augustine Wallace, Stanley Eteno, Hassan Babatunde, Temitayo Adigun, and Kubat Abraham are just a few of the ones that we even know.”

On why Nigeria has not been able to do much about the killings, she said: “The problem is that most Nigerian parents do not know that Northern Cyprus is not recognised by any country in the world. It is not a UN-recognised country. It is only recognised by Turkey.

“That is why we have not been able to do much. Who do you report to? Thousands of Nigerian students are schooling there and I tell you that hundreds have been killed. Who do you take these cases to? And they are killed in similar circumstances. The school just tells you they committed suicide and nothing happens.

“We are going to list all these names of Nigerians that have been killed and we demand justice. There has been no prosecution and no compensation. No Nigerian parent should send their children to any university in Northern Cyprus. There is a collaboration which we do not understand that makes them kill blacks, particularly our Nigerian students.”

Dabiri-Erewa assured the mother of the deceased student that the commission would work with her to demand justice, not only for her son but also for other Nigerians who have been killed while studying in that country.

She disclosed that the case had already been transferred to INTERPOL through the office of the attorney general of the federation.

“We have written the National Universities Commission (NUC). The key thing is to blacklist Northern Cyprus and to stop our children from going to that country to study,” she said.

“We will be working with the NUC to list all the universities in Northern Cyprus and blacklist them. We cannot be letting them kill our children.”