The Senate, yesterday, disclosed that over 776 Nigerians were languishing in foreign prisons in most dehumanising conditions.
Some of these countries include the United States of America and neighbouring countries of Cameroon and Niger.
The breakdown as at December, last year, the senate said shows that of the 776, Spain has the highest number of 395; Gabon-126; Thailand-91; USA-62; Niger-30; Malaysia-43 and Cameroon-29.
Consequently, the senators in a unanimous resolution urged relevant Nigerian agencies to, as a matter of urgency; intervene to press for redress and restitution on behalf of the 14 deportees that were found not culpable out of the 27 deported from Spain recently.
They also urged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Nigerian Embassies across the world to be more proactive on matters affecting Nigerians in such countries whenever they are in distress.
Nonetheless, the senators advised the relevant government agencies to step up enlightenment campaign to educate Nigerian citizens who must travel to do so properly and to also conduct themselves orderly in such countries.
This was even as they asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strengthen the consular services in the country’s missions abroad with a view to increasing their capacity to protect Nigerians in distress and ensuring that prompt legal advice was provided for them when necessary.
The resolutions was sequel to a motion on ‘’Incessant unfair Treatment and Harassment of Nigerians in Foreign Countries’’ sponsored by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, Senator Matthew Nwagwu (PDP, Imo) and 14 others.
Moving the motion, he noted with great concern the continued unfair treatments and harassment of Nigerians in foreign countries leading to intimidation, arrests, detention, torture, deportation and occasional deaths.
