The number of Nigerians being subjected to inhumane treatment in detention facilities scattered across Benin Republic has raised cause for concern.
The level at which security agents are said to have subjected Nigerians to dehumanization in their detention facilities has been described as horrible.
Alleging this, lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, said the tales of Nigerians in the detention centers are gory and despicable.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday in Abuja, Adeyanju urged President Bola Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio to intervene in the travails of Nigerians being maltreated in Benin Republic.
Adeyanju lamented that despite being a signatory to some international treaties and charters on human rights, Benin Republic has subjected Nigerians to inhuman violations.
According to Adeyanju: “Very regrettably, the security agencies in Benin Republic are maltreating Nigerians beyond what you can even imagine. One of our lawyers went to Benin Republic to interact with majority of Nigerians who are detained in their facilities and its gory stories of human rights violations and abuses is just breathtaking and it’s sincerely very despicable because the Benin Republic government is a treaty to many human rights treaties both regionally, continentally, and globally.
“Globally, they are a signatory to the African Charter, the universal declaration of human rights, yet they continue to violate the rights of citizens of Nigerian. Its noteworthy that even lawyers from this office who have travelled to Benin Republic have been subjected to the same similar treatment.
“Our head of chamber here had a very nasty experience as a student in Benin Republic. She was arrested and labeled a prostitute for being in Benin Republic, she was called all manner of names and detained. It took the intervention of her uncle to save her.
“Other Nigerians who were interacted with since we raised this alarm this morning and filed a petition at the Senate have also gotten in touch with us due to the inhumane treatment.”
He gave accounts of how Nigerian students are labeled prostitutes, criminals, and jailed in Benin Republic.
Adeyanju also decried the inability of detained Nigerians to have access to counsels in Benin Republic.
He said: “Once they see that you are a Nigerian, they label you a criminal, fraudster, prostitute, and they arrest people at will. Our head of chambers had a school friend who couldn’t finish because immediately he was labeled a criminal, he was charged to court, he does not speak French, and the entire proceedings were in French through an interpreter and he was jailed, he had to serve the term. Immediately he finished serving the term, out of fear he left Benin Republic and never returned back.
“So, these are the similar challenges Nigerians are facing there. They don’t have counsel and the right to counsel is a fundamental right and it goes to the root of trial and it goes to even the root of the jurisdiction of the court”.
The rights activist alleged that some Nigerians have died in custody while others are seriously suffering from various infections in detention.
He also revealed that a certain Nigerian pastor was chained in a hospital.
Adeyanju added: “Unfortunately, look at the video we were able to obtain of the inhumane conditions Nigerians were kept in prison in Benin Republic, one of the prisoners had died in custody, several others are sick and even the sick bay is in equipped and can’t cater for prisoners per say. Many of the Nigerians there are battling with all kinds of diseases and infections because the prison is over crowded and congested.
“We are calling on the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we have written to the President of the Senate, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and we have also been made aware of a pastor that was chained in one hospital.
“Calls have been made to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora Commission and nothing has been done diplomatically so far. If the government does not hid our call, we may be compelled to protest until something drastic is done on this matter. This is something of concern to us and we should be concerned about the way Nigerians are treated all over the world, that no nation will take us seriously if we do not Carter for our citizens.
“This is why we are appealing to Tinubu government to do something urgently about these infractions against Nigerians in the Benin Republic.”
