Nigerians in Italy Fault Edo Ex-Commissioner’s Claims against Government

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Nigerians in Italy have refuted a recent claim by a former Commissioner for Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Affairs in Edo State, Mr. Osaze Osemwengie-Ero, that over 300 Nigerians residing in Italy were being maltreated by their host government and unlawfully detained in the country.

Osemwengie-Ero, who returned from Italy to Nigeria in June, this year, after he was released from detention by the Italian authorities, raised the alarm that over 300 Nigerians were presently languishing in Italian prisons, claiming that he too was wrongly detained by that government.

He added that he was “a victim of racial discrimination and manipulation of a very corrupt prosecutor of the Italian Justice system,” and that many Nigerians over there were also languishing in Italy.
However, reacting in a statement, Oputteh Ifeoluwa Michael, Welfare Officer, National Union of Nigerian Associations in Italy (NUNAI), described Ero’s claim as false, stressing that Italian authorities have never targeted Nigerians for any harassment or racial discrimination.

He added that if the Italian government and judiciary were corrupt and discriminated againstrace as claimed by Osemwenvie-Ero, they (the Italian judiciary) wouldn’t have freed him from detention for lack of evidence on the allegations leveled against him.

While noting that no fewer than 100,000 Nigerians live in Italy and that the two countries have also inter-married, Oputteh argued that if Nigerians were target of racial discrimination as insinuated, there wouldn’t have been such large number of Nigerians living there.

“Italian authorities have never targeted Nigerians for any harassment neither are they engaged in racial discrimination. Precisely, we have more than 100,000 Nigerians living legally in Italy. These people are engaged in lawful businesses and some have even integrated into the Italian society and married Italians, while Italians also married Nigerians.

“Some have also acquired their citizenship. Definitely, if Nigerians are targeted by the Italian authorities, how come the same Italy gave Nigerians good abode in Italy. Why are these over 100,000 thousand Nigerians not arrested and put in prisons?
“It is also surprising that Mr. Ero is accusing the Italian Judiciary of corruption and manipulation. The same corrupt judiciary tried him and set him free for lack of enough evidence. It means the judiciary is very fair and transparent,” he said.

The Welfare Officer, who warned Ero not to use his political ambition to jeopardize the good relationship Nigerians have with Italians, noted that the former commissioner’s claim could lead to war between Nigeria and Italy.

He said: “Italy is a Sovereign State and I wonder whether he wants Nigeria to go to war with Italy just because of his political ambition,” urging Ero to leave Nigerians in Italy in peace and should not use his political ambition to cause problem for them over there, because the lives of Nigerians in Italy were greater than his political ambition.