The criminal activities of some Nigerians have once again put the country in the news for the wrong reasons; exposing law-abiding citizens to restrictions they do not deserve from other countries. Following cult clashes between two Nigerian rival groups, Eiye and Aiye, which recently occurred in the Sharjah part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), authorities in the country have imposed visa restrictions on Nigerian travellers. The decision by the UAE government was allegedly predicated on a video that recently went viral; where a group of men with machetes are seen yelling in an apartment parking lot, chasing one another and damaging public property.
The Dubai police in a statement on July 21, said the suspects were of African origin and that a criminal case had been registered against them which would be referred to the public prosecution office.
This latest show of shame by Nigerians happened barely a year after the UAE announced a suspension on Nigerian visas after two rival cult groups, BlackAxe and Aromate Group, also known as Barggas, clashed, also in Sharjah. This particular fracas resulted in casualties, including the alleged number one leader of the Aromate Group.
It would also be recalled that recently the Eiye and Aiye cult groups that went to fight in Dubai had engaged in clashes that lasted for over a week in Ogun State.
Cultism is today one of the challenges that threaten the relative peace in parts of the country. It has increasingly become attractive to lonely, anxious and troubled youths often caught in the web of the social media.
Commenting on the issue, the Chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, stated that while the UAE authorities recently released new guidelines for visa application for people under the age of 40, many Nigerians tried to circumvent the guidelines by applying for family visa. The new visa regime stopped the issuance of tourist visa to persons under the age of 40, except for those applying for family visa. Other guidelines include six months genuine bank statement, accommodation details, a valid residential address, as well as a return ticket, which must be produced on arrival. But when family visas are issued to Nigerian applicants, some of them travel alone and arrive without their families. This was why some Nigerian passengers were turned back from Dubai airport in the past few weeks.
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised Nigerians to respect the new visa rules of the UAE government. Spokesperson of the ministry, Francisca K. Omayuli, said, “The Nigerian Mission in Dubai has clarified that most of the supposedly stranded Nigerians were issued with family visas, only to arrive Dubai alone without any family member. Consequently, they were denied entry and advised to return to their country and apply for the appropriate visas. However, those persons allowed entry into the country have their family members in the UAE. While those who claimed their family members were on other flights were told to wait at the airport pending their arrival.”
It’s a grave national embarrassment for some unscrupulous citizens to export their nefarious activities, which are no less criminal even in their home country, Nigeria, to other countries. Respect for law is neither time-bound nor restricted to defined borders. Being law-abiding is a universal civic responsibility, which is why we expect Nigerian citizens to respect the laws of their host countries, as visitors or residents.
While countries reserve the right to accept or reject any visa application, the entire age group of a nation should not be seen as criminals. The majority should not be made to suffer the punishment for the offence committed by a few, which is the obvious message conveyed by the visa ban on Nigerians under 40 years of age. Certainly, not all Nigerians are cultists or ritualists. While we encourage the UAE authorities to appropriately prosecute Nigerians found to have violated their laws according to extant legal provisions, we strongly stand against any measures that seek to summarily stereotype Nigerians, as such measure would go against bilateral principles.
NIDCOM is advised to wake up and go beyond the issuance of press statements usually released each time a diaspora crisis arises. The commission is urged to work in synergy with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to dialogue with UAE authorities with a view towards cancelling measures that will discriminate against all Nigerians of a particular age group and appeal for restrictions that will not absolutely preclude law-abiding Nigerians with genuine travel reasons from securing visas.
Daily Trust equally advises prospective visa applicants to indicate clearly their visa preferences without any ambiguity and to also respect the immigration laws of other countries so as to avoid maltreatment by the countries’ authorities.
We also encourage parents to give quality time and attention to their children’s moral development more than they give to their businesses or work in order to prevent our youths from being drawn to dangerous activities like cultism. Above all, it is time our security agencies root out cultists and other criminal gangs in the country.
