The Nigerian House of Reps and Senate have ordered a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the mysterious deaths of 26 girls in a Spanish Warship on the Mediterranean Sea heading to Italy.
At a session on Thursday, Speaker of the house of representatives, Yakubu Dogara resolved to order the probe. In the Senate, a Senator representing Cross River North, Dr Rose Oko, condemned the development in strong terms.
She said; “In May 2017 it was reported the about 10,000 Nigerians had perished along the Sahara desert – Libya – Mediterranean Sea route.
On Monday, 6th November 2017, an international and national media reported the gruesome story of the dead bodies of twenty-six (26) young Nigerian girls of ages 14-18 discovered in a Spanish warship ‘CANTABRIA’ carrying 375 migrants. 23 of them had been on a rubber boat with 64 others.
Even more horrifying is the suspicion that they had been sexually abused and murdered. Italian prosecutors who have begun investigation into their death have arrested an Egyptian and a Libyan as suspects.
This mass exodus of our children from the relative safety and security of home to the often cold hands of death have arisen and are increasing as a result of the economic hardships at home including the unemployment situation in Nigeria.
It is time to go beyond the mere feeling of horror to taking pro-active, urgent and emergency measures to address the root causes of the exodus, including massive enlightenment on the dangers that it portends.An inter-agency cooperation and collaboration is urgently needed by government to address this problem.”
