Senate President Godswill Akpabio has urged the German government not to proceed with the deportation of 12,000 illegal migrants to Nigeria.
During a meeting with the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Annette Gunther, Akpabio emphasised that such mass deportation could exacerbate the current security challenges faced by Nigeria.
Akpabio highlighted Nigeria’s ongoing struggle with insecurity and called on Germany to collaborate on security and power initiatives to contribute to Nigeria’s socio-political development.
He appealed to Gunther for assistance in fighting insecurity and bolstering the Nigerian economy.
He also noted the issue of individuals falsely claiming Nigerian identity due to crises in other African countries, emphasizing the importance of accurately identifying deportees.
Akpabio stated, “We also have a problem of infiltration from other countries. We require assistance from Germany in the area of security because when we had the Boko Haram issues in the North East, it might not have escalated to the level it did if we had the support of major players like Germany and others.
“It was very difficult for us to get support from America at that time, maybe due to what they read on social media concerning us. If developed countries stop listening to social media, they would be willing to assist developing countries.
“The recent decision of Germany to deport illegal Nigerians back to the country numbering 12,000 is something you have to look into for us, because of its security implications. As a result of the current political situation in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, almost every black person in Germany, would claim to be a Nigerian because they don’t want to return to crises prone countries.”
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Expressing concern over the potential security implications, Akpabio stressed, “Dumping 12,000 illegal immigrants in Nigeria would lead to the escalation of insecurity in the country. There is, therefore, the need for your country to allow our immigration officers to assess, who exactly is a Nigerian amongst them. If they allow them in here, without any kith and kin and they have to survive, the result would be nothing but militancy or insecurity.”
German Ambassador Gunther acknowledged the significance of Nigeria and Germany as large economies in their respective continents.
She stated, “We are honoured to be here today. Nigeria and Germany being the largest economies and population in their respective continents, need to come together in their peoples’ interests. Nigeria is Germany’s second largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa.”