From Maiharaji Altine
Considering the persistent sufferings going through by the Zamfara state indigenous students studying in Cyprus, a Non Governmental Organization called Zamfara Circle Community Initiative has called on Zamfara state government to act fast to save the innocent students from falling victims of criminal activities.
Addressing a press conference in Gusau the state capital, the group said, the students who were sponsored to study in Cyprus by Zamfara state government were currently in a terrible situation.
The leader of the group, Dr. Lawal Aminu who spoke on behalf of the group said the students who have since been ejected from their hostels still lacked accommodation.
Aminu lamented that some of the male students were currently sleeping in mosques.
He further explained that most those students have since become labourers where they engaged themselves in menial jobs to get food.
He also stated that the students were at risk of exploitation by employers due to a lack of legal documentation.
According to him, their visas and passports have expired, as such, anything could happen to them if the state government did not act fast to rescue them.
He said, “Living in a foreign country without legal documentation puts them at risk of imprisonment and deportation,”.
According to him, one of the students has suffered this fate and was deported to Lagos in handcuffs, while another student is currently in prison custody.
Dr. Aminu highlighted that on October 17, 2024, Zamfara Circle submitted a Freedom of Information request to the Zamfara State Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology, seeking information on the status of the Zamfara State students stranded in Cyprus.
“The intent was to balance information from the government with that obtained from other stakeholders, including parents, civil society organizations, and the students themselves, to identify gaps and advise the government where necessary,” he added.
“To date, however, there has been no response to our inquiry”.
While waiting for the government’s response, a popular critic, Dan Bello, released a video detailing the students’ hardships and how they are forced to work menial jobs to feed themselves.”
He emphasized that the students’ outcries in the video prompted the government, through the governor’s spokesperson, to issue a statement clarifying the efforts made to address the students’ issues.
Dr. Aminu finally appealed to the state government to do the needful in order to put a smile on the faces of both the stranded students and their respective family members.
