By Bayo Wahab

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has protested against the detention of six Nigerian tourists by immigration authorities in Cape Verde.

A statement issued by the commission via its X handle on Wednesday stated that the Nigerians, who were travelling from Senegal to Cape Verde for a vacation, were stopped on arrival and accused of not having sufficient funds.

According to NiDCOM, the six Nigerians were held in a detention centre and their mobile phones were also confiscated.

The tourists, whose names were given as David James Udoh, Lily Dada, Oghenero Adaware, Sherifat Abimbola Ogundairo, and Jesutomi Aina, were accompanied by a representative from the travel agency Ìrìn Travels.

The statement read in part, “The attention of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has been drawn to a case involving six Nigerian tourists who travelled from Senegal to Cape Verde Island on vacation.

“Upon arrival in Cape Verde, they were pulled out of the queue, accused of not having enough funds, and had their phones confiscated. They were subsequently detained at an immigration deportation camp at the airport.”

NiDCOM said one of the tourists is reportedly suffering from a medical condition and lacking access to necessary medication.

Therefore, the commission called on Cape Verdean immigration authorities to handle the matter with “respect and dignity” and to “put them on the next immediate return flight to Dakar for onward connection back to Nigeria.”

Vanguard News