written an open letter to President Jonathan
seeking his intervention in what they described
as the continued injustice meted on them by the Malaysian police authorities.
The students under the aegis, National
Association of Nigerian Students Asia, in their
letter which was signed by the President of the
association, Prince David O.C Nwaogwugwu,
cataloged cases of undue police harassment
faced by some Nigerian students and also
accused the Nigerian Consulate staff in Malaysian of being non-nonchalant towards the
harassment and victimization they have faced in recent times. Continue...
Nwaogwugwu said;
"Nigerians are now constantly being duped
of their tuition fees and falsely accused of
crimes not committed by the institutions
they study in, their apartments being
regularly raided even without warrants,
blackmailed and set up for the purpose of
extortion, falsified evidence accepted by
judges against them in courts which are
presented by the police and prosecutors,
deported by the immigration authorities for
the failure of the institutions of learning and
the same immigration departments who fail
to quickly process the renewal of Visa for
these Nigerian students who have handed
in their passports for weeks, months and
even years.
"There are several cases where police
officers in connivance with school security
personnel's, local and foreign agents and
lawyers go after students who they believe
have financial backing at home. They
blackmail such students and threaten to
put them in trouble if they do not pay
certain amounts of money. Some of the
students who refuse to be oppressed by
such threats are then arrested, taken to
court and false evidence presented against
them. In the courts, the prosecutors do not
allow the students to speak in protest or self
defense. The proceedings in Malaysia courts
against Nigerian students are carried out in
the Malaysia language of which Nigerians
schooling in Malaysia are not mandated by
any law to study Malay and therefore do not
understand what the prosecutors are telling
the judge or what the judge is saying to the
court" he said.
Some of the cases involving Nigerian
students includes among the cases listed by Nwaogwugwu was that of Nkem Okpa, a research student who was detained for 11 days on mere suspicions three years ago.
There were other cases:
1. Gabriel (2010): Arrested on the street
and thrown into a bus with some people
who had been arrested for drug possession.
He had never met the other people arrested
with him before. Gabriel was in Sungai
Buloh Prisons until 2013 when the culprit
pleaded guilty. Gabriel's entire life has been
ruined for nothing.
2. Oyewole (2013): Student arrested for not
being in possession of his passport which
had been submitted to his school for visa
renewal. The Police went ahead to carry
away cloths and electronics in his
apartment.
3. Segun (2013): House mate to Oyewole.
They were arrested together and their
possessions stolen by the police.
4. Adeniji (2013): A student arrested and
deported while his passport had been
submitted to school for renewal.
5. Victor (2013) Student arrested on the
school campus for being in possession of
drugs he knew nothing about. His house
mate confirmed he was set up. In court, the
police presented false evidence against
Victor. Victor refusing to be blackmailed by
the schools security and the police
inspector in charge of the case spent about
3 months in remand until his parents told
him to plead guilty and be done with it. The
High commission was informed but nothing
was done about it.6. Bartholomew (2013):
Arrested for a crime he knew nothing
about. Evidence and witnesses prove his
innocence but he is still locked up in Jail
and the Nigerian High Commission is saying
nothing.-Body Number : 313….
7. Umar Garkida (2013): Arrested from his
hostel, false evidence of drugs presented in
court against him. He has refused to be
intimidated to plead guilty and has been in
jail since November while the High
commission and his school are silent.
8. Fahat Sanda (2013): Arrested from his
hostel, false evidence of drugs presented in
court against him. He has refused
intimidation, refused to plead guilty to a
crime not committed and so has been in jail
since November. The school and High
commission are silent.
9. Umar (2014): Arrested from in front of
his hostel by the police. Asked for his
passport which he had submitted to the
school for renewal of Visa, he stated his
case and presented his ID as the Student
Rep President alongside his student ID, but
the police insisted on arresting him unless
he paid some bribe. Umar called Mr Banum
the head of the school security to come and
identify him as the Student Rep President,
but he never came. The police officer then
arrested Umar and took him to the station
and threatened to put him in trouble. Umar
then succumbed to the threat and paid
Rm300 to regain his freedom on the spot.
On returning to the school premises, Umar
confronted Mr Banum to know why he
refused coming to identify him but there
was no response. He then requested that
the money he paid be refunded of which Mr
Banum said he will refund him and write a
petition against the officer in question. Till
date, nothing has been heard about the
issue.
10.. Several Nigerian students in February
2014 were arrested within their school
premises by the police and immigration
personnel's for not being in possession of
their documents which had been submitted
to the school and hence immigration for
renewal. The School ignored these students
for about 2weeks to suffer in detention and
the High Commission did nothing.
Nwaogwugwu also listed in the letter death
cases involving Nigerians
1. Onoche Martins (March 2012): Master
degree student. Killed by Malaysian Police
personnel's after he allegedly outraged the
modesty of a 43year old lady by hugging,
kissing and exposing himself by 11am.
These accusations do not make sense to
any sane being. Nothing has been heard
from the Nigerian High Commission.
2. Solomon Okolo (March 2013): Student
from Delta state. Killed by Malaysian citizens
in the presence of Malaysian police officers
after crashing his vehicle. His wife was at
the scene of the incident and to date,
nothing has been heard about that case or
the culprits. The High commission is silent.
3. Tunde Adelabu (March 2014): A Student
Killed by Malaysia policemen who ran away
after shooting him. Later on, the policemen
came back and arrested Tunde's friend who
had witnessed the shooting. Today, nobody
knows where this boy has been taken to or
if he is still alive. The school he attended are
now denying he was ever their student. The
High commission is still silent.
4. In India on the 25th of March 2014, Two
Nigerians were found stabbed on Devli
Road, New Delhi. One of them succumbed
to injuries and died while the other is at the
AIIMS Trauma Centre.
5. In Malaysia, a Nigerian died in detention
camp sometime in March. The Nigerian
High Commission was invited for the burial
or which they attended without contacting
the family of this Nigerian. The family of this
Nigerian back home believes their son is
alive somewhere. The High Commission
should give reasons for their action
The students are asking that Mr President
intervene in the matter.
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