NIDCOM boss shocked as repatriated Nigerian girls return to Mali

The Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has expressed her disbelief at how some repatriated Nigerian girls have managed to return to Mali.

In a video posted on her X handle on Tuesday, titled “Addressing the video circulating on Nigerian girls in a prison in Mali,” the chairman lamented that despite President Bola Tinubu’s directive to ensure the return of stranded nationals in foreign countries, Nigerians should be cautious not to engage in criminal activities or irregular migration.

She said, “I want to address once again a viral video showing some girls shouting from a prison in Mali, asking to be brought back home. Some time ago, the Chief of Defence Staff helped us to repatriate about 40 girls.

“We have identified that some of those girls who were brought back at that time have shockingly found their way back to Mali.

“So, while President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has instructed that wherever Nigerians are stranded, we must ensure their return, it is also wrong to commit crimes and engage in criminal behaviour. The Office of the National Security Adviser is responsible for the multi-agency team handling evacuations, and the NSA’s office has been repatriating people.

“We want to appeal to Nigerians to obey the laws of other countries. Crime, criminality, and irregular migration are extremely dangerous,” she added, noting that “where you are running to might be worse than where you are running from.”

Reacting to the video, a user on X, Olufsen, tweeting as #oluwatayofem, wrote, “We can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results. People who find their way back to these hostile places should face the consequences of their actions. We can’t continue to encourage bad behaviour.”

Another user, BlackAfricanPanther, tweeting as @KazanOgbomon, stated, “Some of them are unfortunately victims of circumstances. If Tinubu makes Nigeria a better place to live in, people won’t venture outside looking for what isn’t missing.”

One user, Yoruba Ronu Thoroughbred, using the X handle #Iledare, tweeted, “I don’t know how we rehabilitate them after they are brought back to Nigeria – maybe the process is what’s making them return.”

In September 2024, NiDCOM spokesperson Abdur-Rahman Balogun, noted that over 10,000 Nigerians had been evacuated from Libya a few years ago through the collaborative efforts of the Nigerian government and international agencies.