Editorial: The 2000 Nigerians dying in Chinese Prisons

The depressing report the other day, that as many as 2,000 Nigerians, some of them on death row are languishing in Chinese jails, is certainly no complimentary news. Even more heart-rending is the fact that the prisoners, who are serving time in the notorious Dong-guan prison, are being tortured and subjected to dehumanizing treatment, including food deprivation and forced labor. This is pathetic, if not damning. Fundamentally, that over 10,000 Nigerians are incarcerated abroad for mostly drug-related offences is yet, another blight on the toga of the country’s battered international image, and speaks directly to the pervasive corruption and criminality which is now being exported abroad. That the Nigerian embassy in China; believed to be aware of the plight of these Nigerians has not taken any action indicates someone is either failing in his duty in this matter, or we are faced with general dereliction within the system.

Prison notes smuggled by an inmate released from the Dong-guan prison and deported to Nigeria gave graphic details of the plight of the prisoners. The deportee who had a brief stint in the Dong-guan prison and managed to hide dozens of prison notes scribbled on tissue papers in his anus, said the Dong-guan prison where he was held for three months had over 2,000 Nigerians; many of them incapacitated from torture by prison officials, while others are on death row waiting for the hangman.  

Excerpts of the notes read: “Dear fellow citizens of Nigeria, this is the voice of your compatriots suffering in Chinese prison. We have been looking for an opportunity to make our plights known to the public, but God is so kind, one of us is being released now. This is why we are using him as our contact to the outside world. Many of us have very heavy sentences of death and life imprisonment. Some of us have spent over 15 years in prison. We want our home government to come to our aid. We are being treated like animals, mostly Nigerians and other Africans. We are tortured daily with electric devices. The worst part is that it is our fellow prisoners officials use to carry out this torture. When we ask why they do this to us, they say it is because we are blacks, our governments don’t care for us and our government can’t do anything to them. The only reason many of us have not committed suicide is the hope of being transferred someday to our home country. Some countries such as Ethiopia, Senegal, Iran, Jordan, Colombia and Yemen have started taking their citizens back home and we believe the Nigerian embassy is fully aware of our plights but has refused to take any action.”

That over 10,000 Nigerians are languishing in foreign jails; some without even the knowledge of their families back home is a frightening dimension to the average Nigerian’s predilection to cut corners and move on the fast lane. Besides drug traffickers that venture transporting cocaine into Europe, there have been anecdotal accounts of Nigerian con men in the USA championing fraudulent schemes – tax and social security scams; credit card, and Medicare/Medicaid fraud. Meanwhile, Nigerians back home have specialized in internet scams involving advance-fee fraud, ironically known as “419” (for the fraud designation in the Nigerian criminal code). The situation degenerated to the point where it attracted the attention of Nollywood actor and comedian; Nkem Owoh (Ukwa) whose satirical musical “I go chop your dollar” became an instant internet sensation.

Without the capacity to guarantee a measure of security or prosperity for tomorrow, governance loses its essence. The future of youths often called “leaders of tomorrow” is one thing that any responsible government must work hard to guarantee. This is not the case in Nigeria where governments at all levels have failed to invest in the future of youths who continue to immigrate in search of greener pastures. Once abroad, they easily succumb to crime and other get-rich quick schemes. Nigerians accustomed to seeing criminals walking their streets believe they can buy anything with money. But in countries where the rule of law is not just a slogan, they end up in jail.

Honest, hardworking Nigerians are the worse for it, as they suffer double jeopardy of reputational damage because of the activities of a few indolent bad apples. Prominent Nigerians have been subjected to intrusive searches at international airports; some of which have taken special dispositions to search only Nigerians. This is humiliating and unacceptable to say the least. It probably has not helped that Nigerian aviation officials, including airline personnel have been caught in drug trafficking. Some Nigerians have been jailed abroad for minor offences simply because of prejudice against Nigerians who have all been compartmentalized as criminals by law enforcement agents in western countries. The monumental scale of the problem is one that will overwhelm any government.

The main reason for the mass immigration of Nigerians and the attendant consequences of criminality is mass unemployment, whose causes are to be sought in Nigeria. Nigeria has over 150 universities; where are the jobs for the products of these schools? Unemployment has scaled alarming levels to compel the declaration of a national emergency. The consequent misfortune is unspeakable. In Lagos alone, about two million youths have turned into Okada motorbike riders. The figure varies from state to state, but it is the same story nationwide.

Job creation, of course, is not the responsibility of government alone but the government must provide the enabling environment - security, infrastructure and a package of incentives, for prosperity to find home in the society. Investment in infrastructure has a multiple job creation effect. Nigeria’s peculiar type of politics is inimical to job creation. The current approach of handing out cash, as is being done with SURE-P, tainted by its linkage to political patronage, is a waste of funds. The unemployment crisis deserves a bold policy initiative by President Buhari and demands urgent action to abort a ticking time bomb with its ominous dire consequences.

On this issue of Nigerians in Chinese prisons, the Nigerian government should summon the Chinese ambassador and demand a full explanation. Prisoners, even those on death row are human beings, with rights and should not be subjected to abuse, including torture and forced to work on factory lines without pay. Abusing foreign nationals in your custody is a violation of international law, for which the Chinese government should be held accountable. Owing to the closed nature of Chinese society, Nigeria can seek the intervention of international humanitarian organizations like the Red Cross and demand that China provides a list of all Nigerians in Chinese prisons; their crimes and sentences. The government should then embark on measures to get these Nigerians transferred back home to serve their sentences. That is what the duty of care is all about; and Nigeria owes nothing less to its citizens. History will not judge kindly anyone who fails to do his duty to ensure that Nigerians abroad who run afoul of the law are given a fair trial, and if convicted; accorded human dignity and treated with respect.