•••We Are Dying, Abandoned Nigerians Cry Out
The Chinese Embassy in Nigeria has commenced investigation into a viral social media video in which it was alleged that a Chinese mining company abandoned Nigerian mining workers in the Central African Republic (CAR).
A group of Nigerians in the video shot in an abandoned mining location in a remote Central African Republic village detailed how a Chinese firm took them out of the country to the country to abandon them without pay for 11 months.
The Chinese Embassy in a statement on Friday said it attaches great importance to the incident and had commenced immediate investigation into it.
The Embassy advised the companies involved to ensure that the matter is handled responsibly.
It also stated that efforts would be sustained to liaise with the Nigerian government to ensure the protection of the rights of citizens from both countries.
“The Embassy attaches great importance to this incident and has initiated an immediate investigation to verify the facts.” The statement read
“The Chinese side will urge the company involved to handle the issue responsibly.” The statement read
The stranded Nigerians gave their location in CAR, and mentioned difficulties encountered by them in their desperate situation.
They said, “Good morning, Nigeria. We came here through a mining company who brought us from Nigeria to come and work here.
“We have been here for 10 months, but we need the assistance of Nigerians. We need the assistance of Nigerians to come and help us because the Chinese company that brought us here has abandoned us. Now, we work here for more than six months and we are not paid anything.
“We arrived here September last year. For four months, they delayed us at the capital city, even said we were arrested by the government. And when we came out, they brought us to this bush, you can see.
“There is no house anywhere here. There is no house here at all. This is a mining site.
“So now, we have been abandoned. The person in charge, the general manager, the Nigerian general manager of the company, his name is Admaruf Ademola Aregbe. He has gone back to Nigeria.
“And when we called him, he said he too, he is not concerned about our well-being anymore. He has abandoned us here.Now, his partner, his name is Amos. He is a Central African citizen.
“He seized our passport. He seized our passport. He doesn’t want to give us our passport.
“Even some of us here are ready to transport ourselves back to Nigeria. But without our passport, we cannot pass through the road because the law is very, very strict here. The distance between this place to Bangui is 850 kilometers.
“And within that place, we have a lot of barriers. Checking points, we have gendarmerie, immigration and everything. And if you are caught without your documents, it is prison self in this very country.
“So please, Nigerians, if there is a way you can help us, please spread this video. Let them know that some Nigerians have been abandoned in Central Africa. Our location is Senye, under Bambari region in Central Africa.
“The Chinese man that brought us, his company is *inaudible* mining company in Nigeria. The owner of the company is Mr. Yang. And his partner is Mr. Wu, he is also a Chinese man.
“He is in this very country. They abandoned us. We worked for many months, they didn’t pay us our salary.
“Now, we can no longer feed. There is no money. There is no transportation.
“And they still seized our passport. And held it in the capital city in Bangui. Our location from Bangui is 868 kilometers.
“From this very place we are now, the place we can get a single network of the sinker of this country is 35 kilometers. The place is Alindao. I am repeating, we are under Senye.
“We are in Senye Village.
It’s inside the forest. This region is under Bambari. Please, come to our rescue.
“Our families have been worrying about us. And the people we sent message to call Mr. Ademola Abdulmaruf in Nigeria, he refused to respond to them, saying that he too, he doesn’t know anything about us anymore.
“Please, Nigeria, we need your help. We don’t want to die here. All of us have families.
“Nigeria, we need your help. This thing don’t pass our power. Eleven months we reached Central Africa with this. No salary. Nothing, nothing.
“I beg. This video, we will post it to many groups. I beg, may they help us. So we don’t die like this. No food, no money, no water, nothing, nothing. We won’t die in this place..,”
