TheCable

The federal government has warned Nigerians against falling prey to fake admissions and unverifiable opportunities in Northern Cyprus.

In a travel advisory on Monday, Francisca Omayuli, spokesperson of the ministry of foreign affairs, said many young Nigerians have become stranded in the country after falling prey to agents advertising unverifiable opportunities in the territory.

“The attention of the Federal Government of Nigeria has been drawn to the clandestine activities of unscrupulous elements parading themselves as agents and deceiving unsuspecting young Nigerians into believing that Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, provides easy access to ‘greener pastures’ for studies and jobs opportunities,” the statement reads.

“This has led to an alarming influx of Nigerians into the territory in recent times. The resultant effect, being an unprecedented increase in consular cases of stranded young Nigerians in TRNC.

“The general public is advised to be on the alert in order to guard against these so called agents in Nigeria or elsewhere peddling admissions and the existence of unverifiable job opportunities in the TRNC.

“It is advisable that students and their parents/guardians carry out due diligence checks on any so called university or tertiary institution before application for admission is made.

“It is also instructive to be forewarned against deceptive advertising of job opportunities in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.”

The federal government had, in 2020, warned parents against sending their children to universities in Northern Cyprus owing to “incessant and mysterious killings of Nigerian students”.

In August 2022, the government issued another warning to Nigerians, advising them against travelling to Northern Cyprus.

The Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) said the reason for the warning was over human rights abuses and the difficulty encountered by the federal government in seeking justice for Nigerians killed in Northern Cyprus.

Meanwhile, in September, NiDCOM released a list of 13 Nigerians found dead in the territory within the past six years.