* Report by Halimah Olamide
A member of the House of Representatives, Beni Lar (PDP-Plateau), has said that Ms Dinchi Lar, a detained Nigerian lady in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) would regain her freedom in December.
Lar, representing Langtang North, Langtang South Federal Constituency of Plateau State, said this during a news conference at the premises of the national assembly in Abuja.
The lawmaker commended the Federal Government for embarking on measure to secure a light punishment for the lady.
The excited lawmaker said, “my constituent who was imprisoned in the UAE is going to be released in December. I thank the ministry of Foreign Affairs for taking this up.”
The lady was initially jailed for one year for exposing the maltreatment of Nigerians at the Dubai airport.
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Barr Bako Ventimimi, the family of the detained lady, expressed happiness for the effort which resulted in the reduction of the sentence, adding that it had been a grave concern for the family.
“Everybody, particularly the youths, have expressed concern and we are glad that the Federal Government and the lawmaker listened to our cry and did the needful,” she said
He also commended the media for the great job in pushing through the discussion.
On August 31, Lar had taken to her Twitter page to share photos and videos of herself and other people she identified as Nigerians being detained at the Dubai international airport.
She wrote, “I am at the Dubai international airport and myself and some other Nigerians with valid visas are being held in a room hours after arriving with no explanation and no information on what we have done. Please help me. There are more than 20 of us here.”
The lawmaker commended the UAE government for tampering justice with mercy, adding that the gesture showed that international diplomacy could still work.
According to her, the sentence was reduced to three months through the untiring effort of the Nigerian government.
She said the sentence should send a strong caution to Nigerian youths to know the law of the country they intend traveling to before embarking on such journeys.
The lawmaker said the UAE government was magnanimous, adding that some countries might not be that generous, while urging Nigerian youths traveling abroad to be law abiding and know the country they intend traveling to.
Lar also commended the National Assembly for the passage of the Federal University of Agriculture to be sited in Lantang, Plateau, for President Muhammadu Buhari’s assent.
She said the bill, if assented to, would provide the requisite opportunities, saying Lantang has some of the best crops of students and many others would be exploited through the university of Agriculture when signed into law.
She refuted allegation that she has left the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for another party, saying, “I believe in consistency, whether good or bad I believe in staying where I am okay.”