The Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador Michael Olufemi Abikoye, has expressed displeasure at the manner reports of crimes involving Nigerians are put out, describing such reportage as having “xenophobic tendencies”.
Ambassador Abikoye said such “xenophobic tendencies” could potentially be injurious to the relationship of the two countries.
He also decried the kind of media reports which embraced the recent kidnapping in Kumasi of the two Canadian women, which had some Nigerians among the perpetrators of the crime.
“The Ghanaian Press, both print and electronic as well as social media seems to have enjoyed a field day in demonizing Nigeria which for all intent and purposes, is seen as a fraternal brother to Ghana,” the statement notes.
” This line of reportage has caused untold pains, agony as well as apprehension to Nigerians in Ghana, thus the phenomenon has occasioned an appeal to the local traditional media and social media to be highly circumspect in such reportage”, the statement continued.
“The ongoing media trial of criminals which was now being turned into a media trial of Nigeria as a country, calls for moderation on the part of media practitioners in Ghana.”
A group of Nigerians in Ghana also spoke of their unhappiness at the consistent calling out of Nigerians in criminal activities, adding that the bad conducts of some few Nigeria deviants doesn’t mean reports of such crimes must be geared towards stereotyping all Nigerians as criminals.
Spokesperson for Nigerians in Diaspora Ogbonna Keyse said, “We are sad and worried because we know that the majority of us are not like that. Nigerians are not criminals. Nigerians are not kidnappers. Nigerians are not murderers. Nigerians are good people, hardworking people.”