The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) led by Abike Dabiri, has demanded that the Immigration authorities in Cape Verde release six Nigerians tourists in their custody.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Commission said the Nigerians who came to the country from Senegal on vacation, had their phones seized and detained for having insufficient funds. 

The agency said, “The attention of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission has been drawn to a case of 6 Nigerians tourists that traveled from Senegal to Cape Verde Island on a vacation. 

“On arrival at Cape Verde, they were pulled out of the line. They were accused of not having enough funds and their phones confiscated. They were subsequently locked up in an immigration deportation camp at the airport,” the Commission explained.

The agency said the detained Nigerian tourists include: David James Udoh, Lily Dada, Oghenero Adaware, Sherifat Abimbola Ogundairo and Jesutomi Aina, while the travel companies are Irin travels and Far Away.

According to NIDCOM, reports from the immigration detention centre indicated that the detained Nigerians are currently experiencing distress and trauma with one of them having a medical condition without access to his drugs.

NiDCOM. therefore, appealed to the immigration authorities in Cape Verde to treat the tourists with respect and dignity and “put them on the next immediate return flight to Dakar for onward connection back to Nigeria.”

“The families of these young Nigerians ranging between 25 and 31 have been expectedly worried about the safety of their children,” the statement added.

NiDCOM stated that the case has been reported to the Consular and Migration Directorate in the ministry of foreign affairs.