It was anguish and festival of wailing last week at Egba in Uhunwonde Local Government Area, Edo State, for the family of a Nigerian deportee, Mr. Osamuyi Aikpitanhi, who was brutally killed by Spanish Security Officials 18 months as the remains of the deceased, was committed to mother earth. From the youngest member of the family to the eldest was expression of agony and lamentation as they watched the corpse of their relation lowered into the grave.
While feeling the pains of the departure of their son, the family was full of expectations that justice would be done to ensure that those involved in the murder of Osamuyi are sanctioned by the appropriate authorities.
The family acknowledged that the bringing back of the corpse of Osamuyi for burial in his home town was one of their requests to Federal Government and the Spanish Authorities after the incident which occurred when the 23-year old immigrant was killed under inhuman circumstances.
“Though we feel the pain we are relived that his corpse has been brought back and interred in his motherland,” Julius Onaghise, the family spokesman said shortly after the brown casket containing him was lowered into the grave.
Those Present at the funeral include the deceased aged parents Jacob and Vero Aikpitanhi, his sibling, Dr. Iyayi Efianayi JP, the community leader, Honourable Samson Osagie, representing the Uhunwonde Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, a delegation representing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nigeria Embassy in Spain, among several relatives and sympathisers.
It would be recalled on June 9, 2007, Osamuyi Aikpitanhi died as a result of the brutality of Spanish Police while being deported from Spain to Nigeria on board an Iberia Airline. He was found bound hands and feet, gagged and injected with substances suspected to be tranquilizers before being beaten by two Spanish security officials identified as Jose Luis Cazailla Gonzales with police identification number DNI 50975416-X and Miguel Angel Pinero Del Rel with identification 26483119-E both of whom are attached to the Royal Police Force at Arenida De Los Pablados in the Brigada Province of Madrid, Spain. Autopsy reports conducted during an enquiry into the cause of death revealed that Osamuyi dies of Asphyxia.
The brutal killing of the young Nigerian in search of greener pasture overseas degenerated into worldwide condemnation and wide protests in several parts of the world on 29th June 2007 which prompted the Federal Government of Nigeria to order an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death while a judicial enquiry, which is still going on, was commenced immediately by the Spanish Authorities.
According to Ikponwosa Aikpitanhi, the deceased elder brother who accompanied the remains from Spain, the final journey of Osamuyi started on the 28th of November 2008 when the body was flown from Alicante, where it has been preserved over a year, to Madrid on board Iberia Airline flight IB-0375. “I was accompanied by the Nigeria Deputy Ambassador to Spain, Mr. Haruna Ginsua to Lagos,” he said.
It was gathered that they were bided farewell at the airport in Madrid by the Ambassador, the president of the Nigeria Community in Spain, Mr. Joe IIoh, and officials of the Spanish Interior Ministry. The remains left for Lagos from Madrid on board an Iberia Airline Flight IB-3746 around 6.30pm local time on November 28th and arrived the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos at about .
On arrival they were received by the Spanish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Angel Losada, the Spanish Consul-General, Mr. Juan Jose Garcia, and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs led by Mr. Ofon Etuknwa, Deputy Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mr. Akpansly Irom.
It was reliably gathered that contrary to the arrangement reached with the Spanish authorities to have the corpse conveyed to Benin City by air, the final journey was made on road, an act the deceased brother, Ikponwosa, objected to. “What I was told by the Spanish Ambassador in Madrid was that the remains will be flown to Benin City from Lagos but on getting there, I was informed by the Consul-General that the journey will be by road. It was late for me to get a flight to Benin City because I would have flown him down but all proved abortive,” he complained.
Investigations reveal that Osamuyi’s remains was really billed to be flown to Benin City as indicated in the flight schedule signed by the Consul-General, Juan Jose Cuerro Garcia, on the 27th of November 2008; the flight arrangement had his corpse to be taken from Alicante to Madrid, Madrid to Lagos and then Lagos to Benin. While the flights in Spain were to be made by Iberia Airlines, the local flight was kept open.
The Spanish Ambassador, Mr. Losada, it was learnt, claimed he paid Ebony Funeral services a sum of N195, 000 for their services to take the corpse from Lagos to Edo State.
The hearse with registration number LF 759 KJA which was described by one of Osamuyi’s relatives as being similar to one used in the Nollywood flick, Died Retched, broke down at Igwiye Village by the Old Ogbemudia Oil Plantation near Ovie River in Edo State.
It took the intervention of Hon. Samson Osagie and a team of policemen to rescue the vehicle and ferry it out from the ugly traffic situation that delayed movement for close to four hours. The convoy immediately headed to the deceased home town; Egba community where the interment was conducted.
It was undoubtedly a very sympathetic scene as the deceased parents, siblings, relations and sympathisers engaged in weeping competition on sighting the casket. “So my son is truly dead,” the mother, Vero Aikpitanhi, kept asking amidst tears. More sorrow followed when the casket was opened to reveal Osamuyi who had been kept in the morgue close to 18 months.
At exactly Osamuyi’s remains was deposited in the depth of the earth.
While consoling the family, Mr. Ofon Etuknwa, who represented the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe said that the Federal Government will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the matter is pursued to its logical conclusion. He later made a presentation of €10 000 which was a donation from the Spanish Authorities to the family on compassionate ground to support the funeral.
In his speech, the Deputy Ambassador, Mr. Haruna Ginsua who accompanied the corpse from Spain regretted the incident and prayed to God to give the family fortitude to bear the loss. He went on to extol Osagie on his resilience in the matter since it occurred. “If we have representatives like him who fight doggedly like he did in this matter, no nation will treat us anyhow,” he said.
Osagie expressed delight that the petition he brought to the floor of the House on July 4, 2007 was receiving attention both from the Nigerian and Spanish authorities. He promised that the House of Representatives will remain on the matter until justice is dispensed.
Every one regretted that tragedy because Osamuyi was a reliable and hopeful bread winner for the family.
The family spokesperson, Mr. Julius Onaghise thanked both the Federal Government and the Spanish authorities for the role they had played so far in ensuring justice for the family but pleaded the Spanish judiciary to hasten up the case so that the culprits are brought to book while adequate compensation is paid the family.
Osamuyi: We want justice to prevail— Ikponwosa Aikpitanhi
Since he received a call from a friend informing him that his younger brother, Osamuyi Aikpitanhi was dead, he has been suing for justice through the Spanish courts for his deceased brother who was killed under questionable circumstances. Mr. Ikponwosa Aikpitanhi, a staff of DHL in Madrid, Spain is the elder brother of the late Osamuyi Aikpitanhi and accompanied his brother’s remains back to Nigeria. He spoke to AHAOMA KANU on how he has been coping with the situation since the unfortunate incident.
Please can you introduce yourself?
My names are Ikponwosa Aikpitanhi and I am the elder brother to the late Osamuyi Aikpitanhi. I reside in Madrid, Spain and work with DHL in Spain.
Can you go retrospect how you received the news that Osamuyi was killed?
I received the news with shock when a friend who was on board the same Iberia Airline flight informed me that he saw when they were taking the corpse of my brother down from the aircraft. Immediately I heard that information I went to the police Station to confirm but they did not do that. I now headed to the Deportation Camp where they gave me an address to go follow the matter but they revealed to me that they heard that Osamuyi was dead.
From that moment what steps did you take and how was the police react at the initial stage?
At the initial stage when we got the information, I went to the station and was directed to the court that is handling the case and filed our complaint. We were told that the government will take care of the matter and we have been going to court over this issue. When the Ministry of Foreign of Affairs sent a delegation led by the former permanent secretary, Mr. Ahmed and Hon. Osagie came to Spain; they met with the Spanish Ministry of Interior and had discussions concerning the matter. They advised that all we had to do is to take up a personal lawyer and we did that. The name of our lawyer is Pedro Bernardo.
Nigerians both at home and Diaspora heard about this matter and staged a protest all over the world on the 29th of June 2007, how did this move help in this issue over there in Spain?
Yes Nigerians and many Spanish citizens heard about the protest and the case through the website www.nigeriavillagesquare.com; they published the story and put the interview with my parents there for the whole world to hear and that was what really sparked up the moral of everybody including many Spanish citizens. They also signed a protest letter and held the protest in June 29th last year. In was very happy because of that because that really helped the case and brought out the awareness to everybody. I was touched when I saw the protest reports and pictures on the internet.
How has the Nigerian Ambassador and the Embassy been treating the matter ever since?
I will say they really did great and have been with us since this incident happened. They really played the role they were supposed to play concerning the death of one of their citizens. They advised that we wait till the judicial process is finished. They have been inviting me and keeping me updated in the discussions going on in the issue.
It was alleged that at a time some offers were being made to the family, what was the offer?
The offer they made to me was to talk to the family to go ahead and bury Osamuyi as the Spanish Authorities made available €10 000 for the funeral. They made me understand that the donation is not the compensation which is expected to come after the judicial process is finalized. I had to ask my lawyer and he advised that we should wait until the court gives an order in that direction. The Nigerian Embassy lawyer called me and advised that we proceed with the burial as that would fasten the case but I stuck with the advice my lawyer gave. We finally went to court on the 29th of October this year and my lawyer informed me that the court has instructed that the corpse be buried as police investigations into the death of Osamuyi had been concluded. They gave us 15 days from that day to bury him or else they will use their authority to bury him in Spain. I met with the Mr. Haruna Ginsua, the Deputy Ambassador and he told me that that will not be a problem and invited me to the Embassy, where we met and discussed. That was where I learnt that their lawyer went to solicit for the case to be fastened. They alerted the court that the family is ready for the burial and met with the Spanish Authorities again to carve a way forward towards the burial. We started processing the papers and then I called home and spoke with our father, Dr. Iyayi Efianayi and reported the situation of things. On Friday they called me to inform me that they have made arrangements and we would leave on Saturday the 29th of November.
Nigerians were monitoring the situation from here and learnt that the two policemen alleged to have perpetuated this incident were taken to court and charges read to them to which they pleaded not guilty, were you there that day?
Yes I was in court but what happened then was that the matter was still under investigation at that time.
Did you see the two presumed killers?
Yes I saw two of them but I was not there when they were interrogated. They came and laid their statement and were cross examined. I saw them when they came out.
The Spanish Press I understand has been on the matter ever since it occurred, has there been anything they dug out concerning the two policemen like if they had families of their own or have been known to be abusive and again, how has the police attitude to the case been?
I don’t think I can tell you I know so much how the police feel about the matter because during the investigation they came around and conducted their interrogations but on the day they were brought to court the other policemen guarded them maybe they thought they would be attacked; they did not even talk to the press.
How did you feel when you saw them?
I felt normal because I don’t have to take the laws into my hands; we have to show them we are law abiding and don’t take away lives unnecessarily.
It has been 18 months and Osamuyi has been kept in the morgue, how has this whole incident affected you there in Spain?
It has been a very trying moment because this was your younger one that was with you and suddenly you can’t see him again but you are aware he is lying in a cold place somewhere. I travelled to Alicante but I don’t go to see him because I knew he was safe wherever he was.
How many times did you go to catch a glimpse of him since he passed on?
The first time when the incident happened and saw him and needed not to go again because I had to be going to court to seek for justice. The place the court is located is not within the same vicinity that his remains was kept.
When you saw his corpse, were there signs to show he went through the treatment we are being told he received?
Yes, the signs were there even the autopsy revealed it; there were marks on his face to show that his mouth was taped. There were also marks on his nose and it is in the autopsy.
June 9th this year marked exactly one year Osamuyi was killed and he just got buried, do you feel satisfied with how the Federal government of Nigeria has handled the matter?
I will say that the Federal Government surprised me because they have been contacting me and the ambassador has been very nice. I think they really handled the matter very well.
When you were leaving Spain, who were there to see you off at the airport?
I was in company of Mr. Haruna, Mr. Joe Iloh the president of the Nigerian community was there, the Ambassador was there along with the Consul was also there.
The president of the Nigerian Community in Spain, Mr. Joe Iloh we learnt at a time stated urging you to compromise and strike a deal with the Spanish authorities, how did you feel about that?
Yes I felt bad because he did not have to force me against my wish; he felt we did not want to settle the case but I made him known that he does not have the right to dictate to the family how to settle the issue.
Do you feel satisfied with the role he played in the Osamuyi matter since this incident occurred?
It was when we were leaving that I saw Mr. Illoh for the first time for many months, almost nine months.
Has he been calling you?
No he has not; it is the Embassy that has been keeping me updated.
With this action do you see him as being responsible enough to be the president of the Nigerian Community in Spain?
I am not the one that elected him and I will say I don’t have any dealing with him.
We also learnt that the death of Osamuyi changed a lot of things in the way Nigerians immigrants are treated, what can you say changed?
The first time Osamuyi was killed, the Spanish authorities stopped deporting illegal immigrants for some time. Now they don’t tie them like they did to Osamuyi which is a good development.
How do you feel that your brother’s death brought this change?
I feel proud because I can now say that he paid the supreme price.
I met you where the hearse conveying Osamuyi’s remains was stuck somewhere and you were held up in the traffic, was that the way the arrangement was planned?
What I was told by the Spanish Ambassador told me in Madrid was that when we get to Lagos the remains will be flown to Benin Airport. But on getting to Lagos, I met the Spanish Consul-General, Mr. Juan Garcia and he told me that they have changed their mind and the instruction given to him was that we should go by road. I told him that I would not go by road as that was not the arrangement and he called the ambassador, Mr. Angel Losada and they were trying to convince me to go by road and it was already late to get any flight down to Benin. I had to take the casket along by road.
Iberia Airline was the carrier that had Osamuyi on board when he died and they also brought him to Nigeria, do you feel so great about this irony?
What can I say? I didn’t have a choice since they will want to use their own carrier to convey us.
When you boarded the flight did it ever cross your mind that 18 months ago your younger brother was inhumanly killed in one of those Iberian Airline planes?
Yeah it was on my mind but I still prayed to God to give me grace to bear the torture. It is not easy for one to lose his brother under that circumstances but I pray that God gives me and my family the fortitude to bear the loss.
How have you been consoling your family especially your parents; your father has Stroke while your mother has high blood pressure, how have you been keeping them going these past 18 months?
When the incident happened I had to call them and inform them because Osamuyi was already dead and nothing can bring him back to life again. I called them and consoled then to take heart as life goes on.
The Spanish Authorities donated €10 000 to support the funeral service on compassionate ground, how do you feel towards their gesture?
I must say that I thank them very much for doing that since they made it clear the money was for the burial. I thank them and at the same time urge them to make sure justice is done in this matter through the court. They should help us fasten the court process. There is no amount of money that will bring him back.
Do you still wake up remembering Osamuyi?
Of course I do, even today when I was in Hon. Osagie’s house I remembered one of the things he used to do; he often comes to my house with a sack of goat meat which he buys from the African market there in Spain, he buys it for €60 and has it roasted for me. I really enjoyed those moments and many other things we shared together.
What kind of person was Osamuyi because the Spanish authorities tried to paint a picture that was not quite palatable when this incident happened?
Yes, that was what the Spanish police said initially; I even heard that he was wanted for murder in Nigeria and rape in Spain; I had to ask the press where they got their information from because it was news to me. Osamuyi was not a bad guy as they initially portrayed him to be, he was working hard as a newspaper vendor. He was using a United Nations Immigrant visa then.
What are you looking out for in this case?
We want justice and nothing less than that. Maybe because the culprits are policemen their sentences might be reduced but they must pay for taking a human life. We want justice to prevail in this matter.
You have been in Spain for nine years, what is your advice for young Nigerians that dream of coming there through any means to seek for greener pasture?
The advice I have for them is that it is not as rosy as you may think. I will not like to tell them not to come but then they better think before they make that decision because it is a risky business; it’s a try-your-luck-thing. They should be aware that if the come as illegal immigrants, it will take them time to get their papers. Let them know that there are so many people that are sleeping outside in Spain. If they are thinking of going through coming into Spain by road then they will be making a mistake because I have lost a lot of friends who chose that path; it is very risky coming to Spain through the Mediterranean Sea. I will not advise anybody to think towards that direction because you may lose your life.
Are you thinking of returning back home to Nigeria for good?
I left Nigeria for Spain to seek for greener pasture and I must tell you that nothing has changed here since I left that can make me decide to come home now for good. I will definitely come home one day but not now.
WHAT THEY SAID AT THE BURIAL OF LATE OSAMUYI AIKPITANHI
Hon Samson Osagie
Member, Federal House of Representatives.
On seat this afternoon is the family of the late Osamuyi who has just been interred, the fathers and family is here; Dr. Iyayi Efianayi (JP) is the umbrella covering us in the while community and the late Osamuyi is his small nephew. One striking thing about u in this community is that we are all related. I can say that every community member and sympathizers here are related. We welcome you from Spain.
We want to once gain give glory to God for a day like this and it will remain a remarkable day in the history of this family, this community and my constituency. I thank God that a part of the House of Representatives resolution on this matter has just been implemented with the repatriation of the remains of the late Osamuyi Aikpitanhi to his land of birth for proper burial.
I want to also use this opportunity to let the outside world know that Nigerians are not criminals as they are being painted because often times and during the process of this case, Osamuyi Aikpitanhi has been painted as a hardened criminal and that was why he got the treatment that was meted out to him.
I want to say that as the representative of the people, the Nigerian Legislature will continue to resist any attempt by any foreign government or country to treat our nationals wherever they are with standards that fall short of international level, we shall not accept that because international protocol declaration has given everybody equal rights so Nigerians deserve to be treated equally in a manner that meets international standards.
I want to say that as long as we continue to have the mandate of the people, Osamuyi Aikpitanhi case shall not be the only case that we will handle in this respect, we thank God that we have set the pace and this case blazes the trail in the history of Nigerians being treated unwholesomely abroad.
We will also like to use this opportunity to advice our young ones who go abroad to seek for greener pasture to abide by the laws of their host country and stay out of crime. As a representative of the people I want to thank God that the matter I brought before the floor of the House on 4 July, 2007 is beginning to receive attention both from the Nigerian government and the Spanish authorities.
We shall await the end of this matter by way of justice and I want to assure you that as a representative of this community, I will make sure that justice is done in this issue.
Once again I thank Ambassador to Spain and the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and every other person present here today, God has given and he has taken but then, there is no amount of compensation that can equal the life of any body. We will pursue this case until not only compensation is paid to the family but those that perpetuated this condemnable act are brought to book. We believe that we will arrive at that.
Mr. Ofon Etukwan
Representative of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
My name is Ofon Etukwn and I stand here on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chief Ojo Maduekwe and the entire ministry. I am here to come and participate in the interment of our brother and fallen compatriot.
The Minister has asked me to come and tender condolences to the family, the relations and the community over this sad event. And so it is with heavy heart that we come to participate in this sad interment.
Secondly, the minister has asked me to inform the family that the Spanish government had on compassionate grounds made a token donation of €10 000 to the family of the late Osamuyi to assist in the burial.
That is the primary reason we are here. I want to wish this family God’s protection, guidance and that God should give this family the heart to bear this irreplaceable loss. The money is not compensation; this is to assist in the burial. The question of compensation will come up at the end of the court process going on in Spain.
Mr. Haruna Ginsua
Deputy Ambassador of Nigeria to Spain.
I came in from Madrid in company of the remains of the late Osamuyi as a mark of respect and honour and on behalf of the Nigerian Ambassador to Spain and all the Nigerians that are resident there, I wish to seize this opportunity to convey our sincere condolences to the immediate family and the larger family.
When this thing happened, it touched us very much and we as a diplomatic community took up the case and will pursue it to a logical conclusion. We thank God for people like Hon. Osagie who is dynamic and forward looking. He left no stone unturned to make sure that justice is done. I want to assure you that his efforts and all other efforts of everybody that contributed to this matter in what ever way will not be in vain. I have always been in court with IK and we do lean on ourselves since this matter started. This is to show how much we are concerned.
Anytime there is a hearing on the case, Nigerians mobilized and showed love. I will like to say that Osamuyi did not die in vain, though tragic as it may be, his death has led to so many other things that borders on how Nigerians are treated in Spain. Firstly, the Spanish Government has now tried as much as possible to treat any Nigerian and other immigrants being deported with respect and humility so that a reoccurrence of this incident will not happen again.
The death also has improved other bilateral relations between Nigerian and Spain. Hitherto both parties could not iron out some issues but we sat down and talked. The matter took the former Perm Sec of the Ministry and Hon. Osagie to Spain and also, the minister himself came around to discuss this matter with Spanish officials. I believe that both parties have sat down and talked things over in order that the relationship between Nigeria and Spain does not go out of hand.
Mr. Julius Onaghise
Family Spokesperson.
On behalf of the entire family of the Osamuyi Aikpitanhi, we thank you for the role you have played since this ugly incident occurred about 18 months ago. First of all, I want to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affair who listened to the cries of the Honourable member representing our community in the National Assembly, he carried the pains of our community to the Federal Government. We happy to say that we made series of request to the Federal Government for onward transmission to the Spanish Government.
I remember that the first request we made to the FG is that justice be done in this matter and the culprits of this dastardly act should be brought to book. We took a step further to request that despite the fact that Osamuyi has been murdered, we requested that the corpse be repatriated to his motherland. Finally we equally requested that an adequate compensation be paid to the aged parents who are here present. We are happy that in all these, a step has been taken; his corpse has been brought back and interred in his motherland.
Secondly, I am happy that the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentioned that the Spanish Government has decided to send a token donation to the family by way of assistance to perform the burial rites a sum of 10 000 and promised that at the appropriate time, probably when the judicial process has been fully completed and justice is seemed to have been done, the issue of adequate compensation to the family will be addressed. We thank you for all these.
We will also want to urge you that justice delayed is justice denied; justice in a case that has lingered on for a good 18 months, you will agree with me, is being delayed, issues of these nature ought not to be delayed. Be that as it may, we want to believe that at the end of the day whether delayed or not, justice will be perfected dispensed in this matter.
Once more, we want to thank our honourable representative who took it upon himself to carry out this cry. In fact there is one person we should not forget in this gathering with whom and without the help of an association he belongs to probably the parents of our late brother will still be in the dark as to what to do; I want to thank, on behalf of the entire family and the community, the Nigeria Village Square and especially Mr. Ahaoma Kanu who is a member of the web group as well as a journalist with National Daily Newspapers who took it upon himself to keep this matter in the front burner. The Nigeria Village Square organized a world wide protest that brought the killing of Osamuyi to the open. We thank you all and salute your courage and patriotism because it not every journalist in Nigeria will be able to take the kind of risks you took in ensuring that the Osamuyi Aikpitanhi issue was not swept under the carpet. We thank you very much for your prowess and urge you to keep it up. And to the rest of the Nigeria media who took the matter after it was made open and decided to keep it in the news, we thank you all.
We equally thank our son, Mr. Ikponwosa Aikpitanhi who as an elder brother did not relent but took up the matter through a judicial process, we say thank you and say you are a worthy ambassador of this family.
Finally, the representative of the Spanish authorities, you can see that the Egba community are peace loving people and we will want you to take this message back home to the Spanish people, who hear so many negative things about Nigeria, let them know that we are peaceful and caring for ourselves.
We also thank our father Dr. Iyayi Efianayi who has been advising us since this matter happened to tread softly, we say thank you father and may God bless you all.
Long Live Egba Land
Long Life the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Your Comments
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Thanks Ahaoma Kanu for a job well done. Thanks for the love. Thanks for being a Brothers keeper. Thanks for the resilient spirit. Thanks for the committment on your part!!
Osamuyia, sleep on beloved.......... In the bossom of the Lord! Good Night!
Our parents may have failed us by not standing up against oppression and injustice that send us away to foreign lands, should we then fold our arms and deliberately fail the future generations? It will be an inconceivable catastrophe if our children run around the world for refuge because their fatherland is not habitable.
We excel as individual Nigerian in our various fields home and abroad but fail woefully as a group, silence is golden they say but not in the face of tyranny and anarchy.
Goodbye Osamuyi. May your gentle soul rest in perfect peace. AMEN!!
Shame on Nigeria government and the ineffective Nigeria Foreign missions for their careless attitude towards the plights of Nigerians in diasporal. What have they done to see that justice is done to the family of the decease? What type of country is Nigeria for God's sake?
For example, when an innocent Brazilian was murdered carelessly by the London Police, and the Brazilian government took up the matter with their British counterpart. The case rocked the British establishment to the extent that a panel of inquiry was set up to find out the truth of the matter.
The Brazilian government make it cleared to the British that the lives of their citizen is precious, and the British government got the message. The case has cost the British government over £4 million pounds so far.
Just a few days ago, an innocent 15 years old immigrant from Pakistan was shot dead by the racist Greek police, and all hell was let loose.
Athens, the Greek capital is on fire now since the past three days, that prompted the Greek government, not only to arrest the police officers that involved in the dastard acts, they have also charged them to court, so as to pacify the angry immigrant community in that country.
I could recollect a similar thing that happened last year whereby a Nigerian guy died while being chased by the same Greek police, and nothing happen after that. Not even a single comment from the Nigeria government to seek justice for the family of the victim of the Greek police brutality. The lists is endless.
That shows that Nigerian lives meant nothing to their hosts countries, because our leaders show no interest about the welfare of Nigerians, both home and abroad.
It is high time for we, Nigerians to come together with one voice and say: 'enough is enough.':(:(:(
May God console everyone touched by the death of this youngman. Thanks to everyone who contributed in any way possible towards taking him home for burial. May his soul rest in piece.
May the soul of Mr. Osmuyi and the souls of the faithful departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in perfect peace.
The treatment of Nigerians in some of part of Europe is not only unfair but also immoral. Sad, lots of thanks to NVS, for the relentless effort. NVS, is touching lives, one person at a time.
I am beginning to view work of this great site, as advocacy against tyranny, this time with resounding success.
Ahaoma Kanu, special thanks for a brilliant job reporting the event.
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Your Comments
Please make The Square an enjoyable experience for everyone by refraining from gratuitous ad-hominem contributions, defamatory comments and off-topic posting. Such posts will be removed.