- Safiu Kehinde
The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has commenced moves to rescue a group of Nigerian miners stranded in the Central African Republic (CAR).
This was made known in a statement issued on Thursday by the commission’s Director of Media, Public Relations, and Protocols Unit, Abdur-Rahman Balogun.
According to the statement, the stranded miners had drawn the commission’s attention to their plight in a viral video where they recounted how a Chinese mining company had abandoned them in CAR ten months after they were brought to country in September 2024.
One of the miners who spoke on behalf of his colleagues narrated how they were first delayed and arrested at Bangui, the capital of CAR, for four months before working for the company for six months without being paid.
The miner disclosed that they currently stranded at a remote area of Senye under Bambari region of the country.
He identified the Nigerian General Manager of the company as one Abdulmaruf Ademola Aregbe who had since gone back to Nigeria after dropping them in the country.
The miner further disclosed that their passports were seized by one Amos, a Central African Republic citizen.
“A mining company brought us from Nigeria to come and work here. We have been here for ten months.
“The Chinese company that brought us here has abandoned us. We worked here for more than six months, and we were not paid anything. We arrived here September last year.
“For four months, they delayed us at the capital city where we were arrested by the government. And when we came out, they brought us to this bush. As you can see, there is no other houses here.
“The Nigerian General Manager of the Company, his name is Abdulmaruf Ademola Aregbe. He has gone back to Nigeria and when we called him, he said he too is not concerned about our wellbeing.
“His partner, his name is Amos, a Central African citizen. He seized our passport.” He said.
NIDCOM, in the statement, disclosed that the officials of the Nigerian embassy in CAR have been contacted.
The commission also confirmed that the passports of the stranded workers have been retrieved with ongoing plan to send a bus to convey them to the embassy in Bangui which is at least an eight-hour drive.
The statement read; “The attention of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) has been drawn to the distress call in a viral video where some Nigerians were allegedly maltreated in Central Africa Republic (CAR)
“The Nigerians were deceived and abandoned in a foreign land, forced to work for 11 months without pay. Their passports were confiscated, leaving them stranded. They urged the Nigerian government to intervene and rescue them.
“Sequel to this, the Commission immediately contacted officials of the Embassy in the CAR to look into the matter.
“It is gratifying to inform members of the public that contact has been established with them, their seized passports retrieved while plans are on to send a bus to convey them to the embassy in Bangui which is at least an eight-hour drive. The agent in question has also been identified.
“This is to express the appreciation of the Commission to the officials of the Nigerian Embassy for their swift action.”