Nigeria disappointed with ‘racial profiling’ of its citizens

NEW DELHI: Following the death of a Nigerian national in Goa and the resultant violence, the country's high commission on Friday said it was disappointed at the treatment Nigerians were getting in India, which smacked of racial profiling.

"We don't like to believe anything is amiss, but incidents are happening. People are jumping to conclusions every time our nationals are involved. It is happening at random. It is disappointing," Tokunbo Falohun, minister and spokesperson of the Nigerian high commission, told TOI.

The minister cited the Goa incident as an example. "The high commission is disturbed that no reports of drugs involving Nigerians surface before the incident. Suddenly, after the murder, it's all drugs. Even if a man is caught with drugs, there are laws to deal with that," Falohun said. He referred to a recent case in Noida where a Nigerian youth died but the police was yet to make any arrests.

The Goa government sent a detailed report on the incident to the foreign ministry on Thursday but it is yet to share it with the Nigerians. However, the report does hint at a drugs connection. The Goa government also has filed an FIR in the case.

Both Falohun and high commissioner Ndubuisi V Amaku, however, refused to comment on the latest controversy where a Goa minister termed Nigerians a "cancer". "We refuse to react to such statements because we don't want this situation to explode. Our intention is to paint the picture that if this murder investigation is not handled properly and justice given, things can backfire back home in Nigeria. We won't be able to help," Falohun said.

When asked about the response in Nigeria, the minister said after reports of the incident reached back home, "people started calling, they are anxious to know the Indian government's response and if the culprits have been apprehended".

He emphasized the need to probe the murder case properly, saying instead of "generalizations" the government must arrest the accused and prosecute them. "We came to know from the foreign media, not the Indian government, that one of the accused has been arrested. We are still waiting for the Indian government's response," the minister said.

However, Falohun was at pains to point out that the ministry of external affairs did reach out after the incident and the two governments were in touch. "We have a strong relationship, over 100 Indian companies are in Nigeria and almost one million Indians live peacefully in our country," he added.

Speaking to TOI, advocate Shilpi Jain, the lawyer for the high commission for the past 15 years, said, "Conduct and attitude of government of Goa is against the spirit of Vienna Convention. It smacks of prejudice/bias/racism and violates Article 14 and 21 of the Constitution. Painting everyone with the same brush is derogatory but this trend is growing."