Nigeria Warns India Of "Repercussions" Over Goa Face-Off -

The Nigerian community in India is feeling
"aggrieved" after one of its citizens was
killed in Goa, Nigeria's high commissioner
has told the BBC. Ndubuisi Vitus Amaku
said the resort state's subsequent order
to deport Nigerians living illegally there
was like "rubbing salt on their wounds".
Meanwhile, police in Goa have made the
first arrest in the murder case. Police
blamed the killing on rivalry between local
and Nigerian drug traffickers, and Goa's
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar asked the
police to track down Nigerians living
illegally in the state and deport them.
There are about 40,000 Nigerians living
in India and Mr Amaku says he is
concerned about the safety of his
people.
"Indians need to understand that a large
number of Nigerians are living legally in
India and even if some are living illegally,
there are laws in place to deal with that
and those should be implemented," Mr
Amaku told BBC Hindi's Divya Arya.
He criticised the Goan authorities for plans
to deport those living illegally in India.
"If Nigerians are living illegally you
don't wait till their compatriot is
murdered before you go around picking
them up and threatening them with
deportation - that is like rubbing salt on
their wounds."
Earlier in the week, another Nigerian
diplomat had warned of repercussions
against Indians living in Nigeria if Goa
did not stop "evicting Nigerians" from
the state and failed to arrest the killers.
More than 800,000 Indians live in
Nigeria and they own approximately
100,000 businesses there.
Mr Amaku said the official's statement
was made in the context of the murder
and that he felt "aggrieved" like all
other members of the Nigerian
community.
Indian foreign ministry spokesman Syed
Akbaruddin said he was sure that the row
could be settled "amicably".
"We have been assured that the
investigation (into the murder) is under
way," news agency AFP quoted him as
saying.
bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-24835058

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.10