Nigeria frees 80 Chinese held in raids on markets
By Dong Zhen |
May 25, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
Nigeria has released 80 of nearly 100 Chinese nationals it had arrested on suspicion of being in the country illegally, the Chinese Consulate-General in the port city of Lagos said yesterday.
Most of those held in a crackdown on Tuesday in Lagos and Kano were said to be textile traders working in city markets.
Those still in custody face being sent back to China as they have overstayed their permits, Xu Chunman, an official with the consulate, told Xinhua news agency. The issue has been properly solved, Xu said.
The Chinese Embassy in Nigeria said it had contacted the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Nigerian Foreign Ministry after the arrests, urging them to protect the rights of Chinese nationals and make sure they were treated properly.
The People's Daily reported that in a textile products market in Kano in northern Nigeria alone, the government arrested 45 Chinese dealers, including 34 men and 11 women, for "illegally conducting textile trade."
The chief of the immigration department in Kano is said to have accused the Chinese of "intruding into the market" and taking the jobs of local people.
The market is the largest textile trade center in Nigeria and the western African region.
Similar market raids took place at the same time in several other cities.
There was speculation in the Chinese media that the actions were in retaliation for Beijing's announcement last week of a 100-day campaign to catch foreigners illegally staying in the capital, which encouraged the public to pass on details of foreigners who shouldn't be in the country.
The Beijing crackdown was launched days after a British man was detained for molesting a Chinese woman in public.
Chinese media reports said that some Nigerians in Beijing had been found to have overstayed their visas.
Immigration officials in Nigeria, however, denied that their crackdown was targeted specifically at Chinese workers.
The People's Daily said trading ties between China and Nigeria had grown steadily since the 1990s and there were 20,000 Chinese living in Nigeria while about 200,000 Africans, including Nigerians, were in China at present.
Nigeria imposes strict controls on foreign workers and business activities to protect local jobs and industries.
Most of those held in a crackdown on Tuesday in Lagos and Kano were said to be textile traders working in city markets.
Those still in custody face being sent back to China as they have overstayed their permits, Xu Chunman, an official with the consulate, told Xinhua news agency. The issue has been properly solved, Xu said.
The Chinese Embassy in Nigeria said it had contacted the Nigerian Immigration Service and the Nigerian Foreign Ministry after the arrests, urging them to protect the rights of Chinese nationals and make sure they were treated properly.
The People's Daily reported that in a textile products market in Kano in northern Nigeria alone, the government arrested 45 Chinese dealers, including 34 men and 11 women, for "illegally conducting textile trade."
The chief of the immigration department in Kano is said to have accused the Chinese of "intruding into the market" and taking the jobs of local people.
The market is the largest textile trade center in Nigeria and the western African region.
Similar market raids took place at the same time in several other cities.
There was speculation in the Chinese media that the actions were in retaliation for Beijing's announcement last week of a 100-day campaign to catch foreigners illegally staying in the capital, which encouraged the public to pass on details of foreigners who shouldn't be in the country.
The Beijing crackdown was launched days after a British man was detained for molesting a Chinese woman in public.
Chinese media reports said that some Nigerians in Beijing had been found to have overstayed their visas.
Immigration officials in Nigeria, however, denied that their crackdown was targeted specifically at Chinese workers.
The People's Daily said trading ties between China and Nigeria had grown steadily since the 1990s and there were 20,000 Chinese living in Nigeria while about 200,000 Africans, including Nigerians, were in China at present.
Nigeria imposes strict controls on foreign workers and business activities to protect local jobs and industries.
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