The member of the House of Representatives representing Ahoada West/Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni federal constituency of Rivers State in the National Assembly, Hon. Victor Obuzor, has appealed for the intervention of the House of Representatives in the case of eight Nigerian students alleged to have been unlawfully deported from China.
Obuzor made the plea while presenting a petition by the students on the floor of the House, requesting for intervention against the government of the People’s Republic of China, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Nigeria Limited, CCECC, Chang’an University, Xi’an, China and the Chinese Police for gross human rights violation and unlawful deportation.
The lawmaker, who seemed to feel pained by the ill-treatment allegedly meted out to the said Nigerian students, stated, “Mr. Speaker, the petitioners are students of Chang’an University, under full scholarship awarded by the China Civil Engineering Corporation Company in agreement with the Federal Ministry of Transportation in 2019. The petitioners have been studying various courses in Chang’an University for the past five years and were due for graduation in 2024, having completed their examinations.
“The students were brought to the Chinese police station through different means, including illegal arrest and phone calls. They were not informed of any allegation held against them. At the police custody, they were kept without food, water or anything for over 48 hours. And later they were told they tested positive for banned and prohibited substances, which reports were not brought to them.
“It must be noted that the hair samples of the students were taken at various times at the Chinese Police station and the police told the laboratory staff to send the results to them via a social media (WeChat) platform contrary to established norms and standards.”
Enumerating the demands and prayers of the students as contained in the petition, he said, “Mr Speaker, here are the prayers of the students:
“That the CCECC should be invited to explain why Nigerian students were maltreated, dehumanized and deported from China unlawfully by the university and the Chinese government, despite a subsisting agreement between CCECC and the Ministry of Transportation.
“That the results of all tests carried out by the Chinese police should be made public and handed over to the students and the Nigerian Embassy in Beijing for onward transmission to the Ministry of Transportation in Abuja.
“That the students’ visas cancelled without due process should be reinstated without delay and their names cleared from the Chinese Immigration Services for wrongful deportation.
“That the CCECC and the university should ensure that the students return to China immediately to enable them complete their studies and graduate by July 2024 as was originally envisaged when they were awarded scholarships.
“That a formal apology should be sent to the students for the human rights abuses meted out to them and adequate compensation should be paid for unjust detention, harassment and mental torture.
“Mr Speaker, we are confident that with you and with your intervention in this cause of these students because of the current uncertainties surrounding their academic pursuits, Mr speaker, we know that legal activities may be mitigated against this cause, but we are sure that with your intervention that justice will be served.
“Mr. Speaker, it must be noted that no government, Nigerian government, agency, embassy, personnel or establishment was informed about this activity before carrying out such heinous misconduct against these students.”
