Posted by By Chiawo Nwankwo on
Over 12,000 out of the 30,000 illegal immigrants in Spain are Nigerians, a report by the House of Representatives has said.
Over 12,000 out of the 30,000 illegal immigrants in Spain are Nigerians, a report by the House of Representatives has said.
The report stated that only 6,473 Nigerians were registered with the Nigerian mission in Spain.
It also said that Spanish authorities had admitted in court that the late Mr. Osamuyi Akpitanhi, the Nigerian who died aboard an Iberian airliner while being deported, died from suffocation as his mouth was taped.
The House had on July 5 set up an ad hoc committee, chaired by Mr. Henri Dickson, to probe the circumstances surrounding his death.
The report, which was obtained exclusively by our correspondent, said the Spanish government had instituted two parallel investigations by the police and the judiciary to unravel the mystery of Akpitanhi‘s death.
Its findings showed that the "security officials that escorted the deceased had testified to the judicial panel investigating the matter that they bound the deceased‘s mouth with tape to prevent him from screaming and causing injury to himself and others."
Akpitanhi‘ death triggered a diplomatic row between Nigeria and Spain and this forced the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to send a delegation to Spain on July 17 to discuss with the Spanish officials, led by Dr. Alvaro Iranzo.
The Nigerian delegation, headed by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, had expressed the country‘s resentment over Akpitanhi‘s death and sought appropriate punishment for the culprit.
It also demanded adequate compensation for the deceased‘s family and prevention of similar incidents in the future.
However, the Dickson Panel regrettably noted that no Nigerian Government official had notifiefd the deceased‘s family of his death while its probe had forced the Spanish authorities to officially communicate to the family.
Akpitanhi‘s body was flown back to Spain after the Spanish authorities discovered that he had died on board and the remains are yet to be buried.
The panel also asked the Federal Government to "request that adequate and prompt compensation be paid to the deceaseds family by the Spanish Government" despite the ongoing trial in Spain.
It also advised the Federal Government, through its mission in Spain, to lift the ban on the deportation of Nigerians in irregular situations to forestall a reoccurrence of similar deaths.
According to the report, future deportations must be done with the knowledge of Nigerian mission which should be granted an approval for an officer to accompany the deportation flight.
It added that Akitanhi‘s body should be released to his family for proper burial.
The panel advised the Ministry of Information, "to liaise with states, local governments and non-governmental organisations in creating awareness of the danger of illegal migration, especially to states where human trafficking and illegal migration is prevalent.
The seven-man panel submitted its report last Wednesday and is yet to be considered by the House.