Seeing Nigerians Arrested for Drug Trafficking Abroad is Embarrassing – Abike Dabiri-Erewa

The Nigerian government has expressed concern over the increasing number of citizens involved in drug trafficking overseas, describing it as deeply embarrassing to the nation. This sentiment was voiced by the Chairman of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, during an interview on Arise TV on Sunday.

Dabiri-Erewa revealed that 20 out of 21 Nigerians currently on death row in Indonesia for drug-related offences are from a single state in the South-East, while the remaining individual is from Edo State. She recalled visiting Indonesian prisons to plead for clemency on behalf of the convicts. “We had 21 Nigerians on death row. We went to the Indonesian prison and begged them; they said, ‘No, our law is law.’ Four were executed,” she said.

She added, “Out of 21 of them, 20 were from one state in the South-East. The other one is from Edo State. But that does not mean you should generalise that everyone from that state is a criminal.”

Sharing a similar encounter in South Africa, she described witnessing drug-related arrests involving Nigerians. “I was a guest of the authorities… I saw what happened. I was embarrassed. Those people have been arrested and penalised. They were into drugs. I was embarrassed to see my brothers,” she said.

Her comments came in the context of a discussion on recent protests against Igbos in Ghana. When asked about the Nigerian government’s response, Dabiri-Erewa stressed that crime should not be ethnically profiled. “The tribe you mention will ask if it’s because of us. No. Like I said, crime has no federal character,” she explained.

She urged host countries to prosecute Nigerians who commit crimes, but cautioned against broad generalisations. “Only the bad stories trend,” she lamented, while highlighting that thousands of Nigerians abroad are making positive contributions to their host nations.