Stop Generalization of Nigerians Over Crimes Abroad Amid Ghana Protest- Abike Dabiri-Erewa

Stop Generalization of Nigerians Over Crimes Abroad Amid Ghana Protest- Abike Dabiri-Erewa

Chairperson of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has condemned the generalization of Nigerians in response to isolated criminal incidents abroad, calling it “unfair and unjust.”

Her remarks came amidst growing tensions in Ghana, where a viral video circulated on Tuesday showing a large crowd of Ghanaians protesting with placards demanding the deportation of Nigerians. The protest, tagged #NigeriaMustGo, has sparked diplomatic concerns between the two West African countries.

Speaking in an interview on Arise News, Dabiri-Erewa urged Ghanaian authorities to punish individual offenders rather than cast collective blame on the entire Nigerian community.

“If a few Nigerians have committed crimes on foreign soil, they should be punished and publicly held accountable. However, it is unfair to generalize and attribute that crime to all Nigerians,” she stated.

Recalling a past case in Indonesia, she highlighted how 21 Nigerians were on death row, with 20 of them from one state in Nigeria's South-East. “Does that mean everyone from that state is a criminal? Absolutely not,” she emphasized. She noted that crime exists across ethnic lines, saying, “Crime has a federal character.”

Dabiri-Erewa also called for transparency in identifying the individuals responsible for criminal acts. “Let’s name and shame the culprits. They shouldn’t remain anonymous. We won’t defend wrongdoing, and the Nigerian Embassy in Ghana has been actively addressing such issues,” she added.

She cited previous efforts by the Nigerian government in tackling human trafficking and other criminal activities involving citizens abroad, noting that some of those efforts have yielded positive results. “We went to Ghana and brought back victims of trafficking. Those behind the crimes, both Nigerians and a few Ghanaians, were arrested.”

Commenting on the persistent portrayal of Nigeria in negative light, Dabiri-Erewa lamented that positive stories about hardworking Nigerians overseas are often ignored. “Thousands of Nigerians are positively contributing to economies around the world. If they left today, many of those countries would feel the impact. Unfortunately, bad news is what trends,” she noted.

Also speaking on the matter, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, appealed for calm, assuring that “there is no cause for alarm.”

Similarly, Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador Demola, clarified that the protests were not targeted at all Nigerians, but rather individuals engaging in activities deemed “undesirable” to Ghana’s economy. “I believe the focus is on certain traders and individuals considered problematic to their system,” he said in an interview with Arise News.

Observers have drawn parallels to the 1983 mass deportation of Ghanaians from Nigeria under then-President Shehu Shagari, urging both nations to avoid a repeat of such history and handle the current situation with diplomacy and restraint.