REPS TO INVESTIGATE SEIZURE OF NIGERIAN CHILDREN FROM PARENTS BY BRITISH POLICE

BY  BEN AGANDE
ABUJA - The House of Representatives yesterday mandated its Committees on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Matters to investigate the circumstances leading to the decision of the British police to take custody of six children of a Nigerian family on the allegation that the mother of the children was a sex worker.

In a motion sponsored by Chairman of the House Committee on Diaspora, Abike Dabiri-Erewa and 27 others, the House was informed that the Haringey British police 'stormed the peaceful home of the Musas and forcefully took custody of their five children to an undisclosed destination, without any concrete evidence against them.'

Dabiri-Erewa said: 'This family has been subjected to the worst psychological crisis, and are currently in a state of mental trauma from the way their case has been handled by the British police and since June 2010 till date, Mr and Mrs Musa have not had contact with their children, even after series of tests conducted on the children confirmed the paternity of the six children in favour of Mr and Mrs Musa.'

Micheal Opeyemi (A.C.N Ekiti State) in his contribution, noted that it was time for the parliament to demonstrate that it really represented the people and that it had the capacity to ensure that Nigerians all over the world were protected without prejudice to the laws of the land where they reside.

He said: 'The fundamental issue here is the issue of child abuse, the British government should not trample on the rights of the Nigerians living in the United Kingdom.'