- Speaking at a press conference in Gusau on Saturday, the group’s leader, Dr Lawal Aminu, expressed concern over the students’ dire situation
The Zamfara Circle Community Initiative, a non-governmental organisation, has called on the Zamfara State Government to take immediate action to rescue students studying in Cyprus who have been left stranded.
The students, sponsored by the previous administration, have allegedly been abandoned, forcing many to sleep in mosques and take up menial jobs for survival.
Speaking at a press conference in Gusau on Saturday, the group’s leader, Dr Lawal Aminu, expressed concern over the students’ dire situation.
He explained that they had been evicted from their hostels, lacked proper accommodation, and had expired visas, leaving them vulnerable to imprisonment and deportation.
“Living in a foreign country without legal documentation puts them at risk of imprisonment and deportation,” Aminu said, adding that one student had already been deported in handcuffs, while another was being held in a Cypriot prison.
Aminu also highlighted that Zamfara Circle had submitted a Freedom of Information request to the state’s Ministry of Education in October, seeking details on the students’ situation. However, the request had yet to receive a response.
Reacting to the students’ plight, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Dauda Lawal on Media and Communications, Mustafa Kaura, said the current administration had set up a committee to verify the number of students studying in Cyprus and address their problems. He blamed the previous administration of Bello Mattawalle for sending the students abroad without proper arrangements.
Kaura assured that the state government was working towards resolving the issue and providing assistance to the affected students.