Ebola: A Nigerian Family Faced Ill-Treatment At Sri Lanka's Interntional Airport & Forced To Miss Their Son's Wedding

Abike Dabiri 

A Nigerian family had been unfairly treated by the authorities at the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Colombo due to the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Affairs of Nigeria Abike Dabiri-Erewa charged.

Debiri-Erewa also decried the stigmatization of Nigerians in the Diaspora due to the outbreak of the EVD.

“Our citizens are mainly harassed and unfairly treated for the fact that they are Nigerians, and in some cases sent back from the airport. This act is very predatory and must be checked immediately.”

She cited the example of Mr. Adeseye Adeyemi, a Nigerian who decided to wed his Sri Lankan heartthrob in Sri Lanka, with his family in attendance.

She added that Adeyemi’s tale of joy was unduly turned “to sadness by the terrible treatment received from the Sri Lankan authorities.”

She said all family members were quarantined in the airport lobby for about 18 hours with no access to food or water.

“Not even toilet facilities were granted causing the children present to answer the call of nature in that state and the family ultimately deported (with no single medical check) after the prolonged wait,” she added.

“This unfair treatment is for no other reason than the fact that these individuals are proud holders of the Nigerian passport. 

This sort of behavior is highly discriminatory and is a clear violation of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” she added.