The Federal Government of Nigeria has expressed surprise and shock over the sudden burial of the 26 African girls drowned in the Mediterranean Sea by Italian authorities nine days ahead of the slated burial date.
Earlier,Italian Embassy indicated to the DG NAPTIP that the burial will take place in Salerno, Italy on November. 26, 2017, but however went ahead with the burial on November, 17th 2017.
Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa,Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora alongside Mr Abdulrahim Shaibu, representative of National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons made this known in Abuja on Monday at a joint news conference.
A statement signed by the Media aide to Hon. Dabiri –Erewa, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, stated that a letter to the effect had been sent to the Italian envoy in Nigeria.
“Why were they hurriedly buried nine days before the date communicated to the DG NAPTIP by the Italian Embassy without any information to Nigerian Government’’, they asked
The Director General of NAPTIP was said to have traveled to Italy to engage with the Italian authorities as they prepare for the burial on the Nov. 26.
Also, information available indicated that only three of the girls were said to be identified as Nigerians amidst allegations that the girls may have been assaulted and ill-treated by their traffickers.
“On the issue of Africans sold by Africans in Libya to Europe, as reported by the CNN in a report titled “People for sale; where lives are auctioned for $400”, this is totally unacceptable, despicable, and inhumane and should be condemned by anyone who is human and has blood running through their veins”. the statement said.
Hon.Abike Dabiri Erewa and Mr.Abdulrahim Shaibu also appealed to the African Union, European Union, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), International Organization on Migration (IOM) and the Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS), to intervene in the matter and tackle this issue of slavery happening in Libya and also mete out sanctions to the perpetrators of such heinous crime.
FG Expresses Shock,Concern Over Burial of Female Migrants in Italy
