Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
Two stranded Nigerians in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Eboh Kenneth Chinedu (Imo State) and Abia Alexandro Uchenna (Enugu State) arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, at the wee hours of yesterday.
On arrival, they were immediately received by officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs led by the Spokesperson, Mr Ferdinand Nwonye as well as personnel of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission including Mr Idris Ozigi, Victor Essiet, Akinboye Akinsola and Samson Elijah.
The duo had travelled to Croatia for a competition where they were arrested by the police authorities on November 18, 2019 for their inability to produce relevant documents and subsequently taken to Bosnia-Herzegovina border to join other irregular migrants.
Narrating their ordeal, Abia said they were in Croatia for inter-university competition but were arrested on the street of Croatia by Croatian policemen while taking a walk. According to him, their ordeal lasted for hours before they were finally dumped at the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) camp in Bosnia-Herzegovina border where they were eventually rescued by the Nigerian Government through the Nigerian Embassy in Budapest, Hungary. Although he absolved the Croatian policemen of torture, police took away the money they had on them.
Abia and Eboh expressed gratitude to the Nigerian Government for the quick intervention and procurement of business class tickets for their safe return home.
Nwonye said Abia and Eboh did not return to the country as deportees, but as free citizens, disclosing that another Nigerian who had a similar problem was already on his way to Lagos with the assistance of the Federal Government.