The federal Government has summoned the Egyptian Ambassador to Nigeria, over the bad treatment meted out on a Nigerian teenager, master Joshua Kunle Abdulazeez by the Egypt Air.
This is a follow up on the report dated September 13, 2014 on How Egypt Air Wrongly Flew Me to Another Country, Tore My Passport, Locked Me Up.
The boy’s passport was torn by an official of the airline, and was on his way to Ukraine to resume studies as a medical student.
The ministry of foreign affairs demanded an unreserved apology from the Egyptian government. Minister of state foreign affairs, Viola Onwulri said, The Egypt Air has been accused of ‘child-abuse” for not giving the boy food for three days. She said it was very unacceptable that Egypt Air has failed to respond to diverse enquiries from the Nigeria Embassy in Cairo on what led to the maltreatment of the boy.
Ms. Onwulri expressed shocked that the Egyptian ambassador’s first reaction to the issue was to question the authencity of local media reports on the Nigeria teenager that was treated like ‘a common criminal’ by the Egyptian.
Mr. Malachi Ugwumadu, said in a telephone interview, “I am joining others who have condemned the unjustifiable attack on Joshua Abdulazeez, a fellow Nigerian citizen.
“What led to the young man being flown to a country different from his destination was not his fault but due to negligence on the part of those who sold the wrong ticket to him.
“It was the mistake of somebody who was not competent to do his job. Whatever was the case, the type of treatment that was meted out to this young man was callous.
“The fundamental rights of all Nigerians are guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution as amended. So, a Nigerian’s life cannot be taken except in accordance with the order of a competent court of law. Similarly, a Nigerian’s freedom of movement including the right to leave and enter the country is also guaranteed.
“The right to personal liberty is also guaranteed by the constitution. The right to human dignity is also provided by the nation’s grundnorm.”
Ugwumadu maintained that the fundamental human rights of citizen Abdulazeez as stipulated under Chapter Four of the constitution, had been attacked by the action of the Egyptian officials.
He also said, “Abdulazeez could therefore file an action in court for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights which would entail the perpetrators of those acts including the airline being sued.
“One of the reliefs that he should seek is a heavy compensation for the damage done to his passport. The destruction of his international passport and the physical pain he was subjected to could not have been part of the Egyptian legal provisions for traveling to a wrong destination.”
AIT.
