By Ebere Godson
Northern Cyprus Central Prison is seeing a new influx of inmates, mostly foreigners, as Nigerians make up most of the number of foreigners incarcerated.
On July 24, 2023, the Minister of Parliament for the Republican Turkish Party, Ürün Solyali, claimed that 72% of the prison population in Northern Cyprus is made up of foreigners, most of whom are foreign students from third-world countries.
The Northern Cyprus prison was constructed and finalized in 2022 to host a larger number of inmates compared to the old prison. With the rise in crime and population, prison officials are calling on the government to act quickly to avert a humanitarian disaster.
Prison officials said the prison is designed to hold 750 inmates, but now it is at 900 and counting.
Speaking exclusively to Parallel Facts, one of the locals who wishes to remain anonymous said that Nigerians, who make up the bulk of the prison population regarding foreigners, are often arrested on three common issues: drug trafficking, illegal stays, and prostitution.
She said, “Nigerian students are driving flashy cars and living in expensive apartment suites; how can they afford this if not for crime or black money?”
Efforts have been made to seek constructive measures for the repatriation of Nigerians involved in minor offenses.
Many have advocated for innovative approaches to address the challenges posed by the existing prison system.
These proposed solutions encompass options like direct deportation and minor offense bans, which pertain to activities such as recreational drug possession and prostitution.
The head of the prison workers union, Güven Bengihan, has called for tougher border controls and an increase in police recruitment to reduce crime and expel illegal migrants.
The prison population is expected to increase as Northern Cyprus continues its nationwide illegal migrant crackdown, forcing Nigerians without legal permits to go into hiding while avoiding busy places.
In early September 2023, the Northern Cyprus government reintroduced the transit visa requirement for students coming from third-world countries.
This requirement was scrapped during the pandemic era to facilitate the quick return of foreign students and to revitalize the economy.
Then Prime Minister Faiz Sucuoğlu in 2021 highlighted the need to return to face-to-face education to help revitalize the economy.
This is a move some locals will disagree with, and a move that many would argue has been counterbalanced by the new crackdown on illegal migrants and foreign students in Northern Cyprus.
Nigerians are the largest number of African students living and studying in Northern Cyprus. They also make up the largest number of inmates within the foreign category in Northern Cyprus.
There is no significant discourse on Nigerians specifically in the political sphere in Northern Cyprus, but there are discourses within the public and private spheres where some locals believe there has to be a reduction of Nigerians in Northern Cyprus.
Agents who are tasked with acquiring admissions and helping new students through the visa process have been bemoaning the new transit visa requirements, calling them ‘arbitrary’ and saying that rejection rates are high.
One of the agents, Kulawat, from Kay Legacy Consultation, said, “The visa process is now tedious; students now get rejected even after making school fee payments. This was not the case in the past, when students just needed to provide admission letters and proof of payment to go study in Northern Cyprus.
I feel there is an unofficial understanding to reduce the number of Nigerians in Northern Cyprus. Turkish embassy outsourcing its visa application to Voyavisa has complicated things as no reasons are given to students for rejections. This transit visa is not meant to be complicated given that the final solution is Northern Cyprus, not Türkiye.”
Many social organizations and media groups have called for a quick look at mitigations for the recent economic upheaval, given the direct link between economic issues and crime.
The prison population is expected to increase with the ongoing crackdown on illegal students who have overstayed their visas. According to rumors, there are a high number of African students, specifically Nigerians, who are residing illegally in Northern Cyprus.