The Untold Story Of The Nigerian Purportedly Assaulted In Italy

Chinedu Ojobo

The Nigeria Diaspora Commission ‘‘NIDCOM’’ has refuted a statement trending that a lady was allegedly  assaulted at the Nigerian embassy in Italy by embassy staff.

The viral video on social media on 6th June 2019, insinuates that a staff of the Nigerian Embassy in Rome, Italy, assaulted a Nigerian national inside the premises of the Embassy.

In a statement signed by Mr Gabriel Odu, the Commission’s Media officer, NIDCOM says, ”The lady identified simply as Ms Patience has been in Italy for over 30years and holds an Italian passport. The incident in question happened over 3 months ago. She often visits the mission screaming “I want to go to Nigeria, come and take me to Nigeria. I’m hungry come and give me food” Officers and Nigerians often give her money and buy food for her. “

“On the said day however, she entered the immigration machine room, chased the officers out of their office and began to disrupt activities in the area. It was the Nigerians around who had to come together to bring her out of the office. Also, the person in the video seen speaking to her is a Nigerian citizen that was also at the Embassy for consular services, who tried to intervene, as many others who were waiting at the consular section got wearied of the tantrums she was exhibiting, it was in the process of bringing her out, she on her own decided to lie on the floor.”

“The mission had made arrangements along with the International Organisation for Migration and Italian Ministry of interior to fulfil her request to return to Nigeria, but she rebuffed the offer. Her Emergency Travelling Certificate is still lying in the Embassy. She is suspected to have a psychological and mental health condition and the Embassy has on two occasions called an ambulance to take her to hospital for attention, but she refused. Italian law forbids forcefully taking a patient to hospital”.

NIDCOM says it has “nevertheless urged the Nigerian mission in Italy to treat her with caution, dignity and respect and go the extra mile to identify her relatives with a view to doing everything possible to intervene in her medical condition, and getting her to Nigeria if indeed she wants to come to Nigeria”.

The commission also promised to “continue to monitor developments in the case of Ms. Patience (surname unknown)”.