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FG protests, says only 3 girls confirmed Nigerians before Italy buried the 26 migrants ‘9 days before agreed date’

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The Nigerian government has expressed its displeasure over the hurried burial of the 26 migrants whose bodies were recovered from the Mediterranean, revealing that it had already written to the Italian Embassy in Nigeria asking it why they were buried “nine days before the agreed date”.

The Senior Special Adviser to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, told a news conference in Abuja on Monday that only three bodies had been identified as Nigerians before the burial.

Dabiri-Erewa said that enough time was not allowed for proper identification of the girls and feedback on investigations carried out by the relevant authorities in Italy, adding that the government would investigate the development at the “highest diplomatic level”.

“It was shocking to watch the burial of these migrants on television, I think on November 17, because the information from the Italian Embassy to National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons was the fact that these girls would be buried on Nov. 26.

“We are asking the Italian authorities, and we have communicated a letter through the Italian Embassy here in Nigeria, why these girls were buried nine days before the agreed date.

“Secondly, where are the results of the pathological tests that were done, who conducted the DNA tests and how do we now identify that all 26 girls were Nigerians?

“From available information coming from Italy as I speak, about three girls can be identified to be Nigerians.

“Did Italy get the permission to go ahead with the burial of these girls no matter their nationalities?

“We appeal to the Italian authorities, we are going to take this up at the highest diplomatic level and we are going to get answers”, Dabiri-Erewa said.

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She added that 64 migrants were involved in the accident with many bodies still unaccounted for, leaving more questions to be answered by the Italian authorities.

The presidential aide stated that the Director-General of National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) was currently in Italy facilitating next steps.

“The fact is at the other end, they are not willing to save irregular migrants anymore so it is going to get tougher and dangerous.

“Yes, the administration should do the needful but the most important thing is awareness”, she said.

A representative of NAPTIP, Abdulrahim Shaibu, Director, Legal and Prosecution, said that the burial of the 26 dead migrants was a violation of agreements shared by both countries.

“Between Nigeria and Italy, we have a Memorandum of Understanding and a cooperative agreement with anti-mafia; they are supposed to give us all information concerning our victims as well as any trafficker they get.

“On this particular issue, we relied on their information that these girls would be buried on Nov. 26 and this is in violation of the agreement to exchange pre-information so our government will have to take it up”, he said.

Shaibu also said that the agency was doing a lot to sensitise Nigerians to the dangers of human trafficking.

He said, “This mishap is one too many and that is why we are asking state governments to back our efforts and create programmes that would involve the youths to engage them productively”.

The bodies of the 26 migrants were discovered on the Mediterranean by a Spanish Warship, Cantabria on November 5.

Funeral for the all-female migrants between the ages of 14 to 18, was held in Salerno, Italy on November 17.

 

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