Nigerians in Italy have refuted the recent claim by Mr. Osaze Osemwengie-Ero, former Commissioner for Arts, Culture, Tourism and Diaspora Affairs in Edo State that Nigerians residing in Italy are being maltreated by Italian government and that over 300 Nigerians are being unlawfully detained in the country.
Ero, who returned from Italy to Nigeria June, this year, after he was released from detention in Italy, raised the alarm that over 300 Nigerians are presently languishing in Italian prisons, claiming further that he too was wrongly detained by the Italian government.
He added that he was “victim of racial discrimination and manipulation of a very corrupt prosecutor of the Italian Justice system,” and that many Nigerians are in his shoe over there in Italy.
But reacting to Ero’s claim in a statement made available to INFO DAILY electronically, 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 nor racial discrimination.
He added that if the Italian government and judiciary were corrupt and discriminate race as claimed by Ero, they (the Italian judiciary) wouldn’t have freed him from detention for lack of enough evidence on the allegations leveled against him (Ero).
While noting that no fewer than 100,000 Nigerians live in Italy and that the two countries have inter-married, Michael said if Nigerians were target of racial discrimination as claimed by Ero, this wouldn’t have happened, and that they wouldn’t have given the over 100,000 Nigerians living there abode.
“Italian authorities have never targeted Nigerians for any harassment nor are they engaged in racialdiscrimination. 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 Nigeria have with Italy, 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.”
He, therefore, urged Ero to leave Nigerians in Italy in peace and should not use his political ambition to cause problem for them over there.
He added, “The lives of
Nigerians in Italy is greater than his political ambition.”