Abia Uchenna and Eboh Chinedu, students of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri, FUTO, who were held hostage in Bosnia-Herzegovina Border Camp have been officially received by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, NIDCOM.
They arrived Nigeria Friday night.
They were officially received on Saturday by the Secretary of NIDCOM, Dr. Sule Yakubu Bassi, on behalf of the chairman of the commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
Dr. Bassi urged the two Nigerians (students) to always be of good behaviour wherever and whenever they might find themselves by obeying the laws of their country of stay.
Bassi commended the Federal Government through the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Geofrey Onyeama, the Nigerian Ambassador to Hungary and all Mission staff for the humane and prompt response to the plight of the two Nigerians.
Furthermore, the NIDCOM Secretary commended the timely and untiring efforts and energy put into ensuring their release and return home by Abike Dabiri-Erewa.
Meanwhile, Uchenna and Chinedu after narrating their ordeals which include language barrier, harsh and hostile treatment and camp conditions as well as feeding said they were however overwhelmed with joy to be back home.
“We are very very very happy to be back home to Nigeria. There is no country better than Nigeria especially in view of the freedom we enjoy here.
“We want to thank especially Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa. She is indeed a mother. That woman is so so kind.
“The way she spoke to us on telephone from Nigeria when were in camp in Bosnia was very encouraging, we can’t thank her enough; she put us in hotel and fed us very well here in Abuja,” they said.
The two Nigerians were also appreciative of the quick intervention of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nigerian Ambassador to Hungary and all Embassy staff in Budapest.
It could be recalled that the duo of Uchenna and Chinedu were in Croatia for the International University Table Tennis Tournament but were arrested while on a walk out in the capital for their inability to present supporting documents (which they claimed were in their hotel rooms) and were transferred to Bosnia-Herzegovina Border Camp where migrants are processed.
They were arrested on November 16, 2019 but released and back home December 21, 2019.
