3,000 Nigerians Languish In Jail, Overseas

About 3,130 Nigerians have been estimated to be languishing in jails overseas.

This estimate was contained in a press statement issued in Abuja at the weekend by the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ministry while reading out the alarming number of Nigerian citizens on the wrong side of the law in the countries they migrated to, advised the general public on dangers associated with illegal stay abroad.

According to the press, statement from the ministry, the warning became necessary due to the increasing number of Nigerians in prisons abroad, and those currently on death row as a result of various criminal activities, such as drug trafficking, human trafficking and prostitution, armed robberies, credit card scam, foreign currency counterfeiting, formation of criminal cartels and secret cult groups in foreign lands.

According to the statement, a breakdown of the statistics showed that 52 Nigerians are awaiting execution on death row, 1,640 are in detention, 3,719 are awaiting deportation and 5,145 are victims of other problems, in addition to other diplomatic responsibilities that had put a lot of pressure on human trafficking.

The press statement further posits the overwhelming nature of Nigerian missions, stressing that the activities of these groups of Nigerians are gradually becoming an irritant in bilateral relations with some countries.

The ministry also advised Nigerians travelling abroad to respect visa regimes of respective countries and by all means avoid over stay.

It also added “avoid by all means, and in any circumstances the use of fake passports, visas and other documents, particularly the passports, avoid involvement in criminal activities such as drug trafficking, trafficking in persons, prostitution, armed robberies, credit card scam, foreign currency and counterfeiting.

The press statement from the ministry also cautioned Nigerians to desist from formation of criminal cartels and secret cult groups while in a foreign land.