Indian students force out Nigerians from University campus after rift during local football game

Indian students force out Nigerians from University campus after rift during local football game

Indian students have reportedly forced out about 86 Nigerian students from the campus of Gurgaon University after a rift between them (Nigerians) and the local students during a football game.

Press reports in the country, reported that the Gurgaon Police have registered cross-fires against each group of students for allegedly thrashing each other at the football ground on Friday, October 14, 2022, and creating a ruckus.

Sources said officials from the Nigerian Embassy visited the university on Saturday night and enquired about the incident.

This comes nearly a month after Indian students staged a protest against foreign students allegedly offering namaz (prayer) at the football ground.

The students allegedly raised “Jai Shree Ram” slogans and filed a complaint with the registrar to ask foreign students to offer namaz (prayer) in allotted rooms.

The administration had said the matter was resolved amicably.

Videos from the university on Friday showed students protesting and shouting. In one of the videos, a student alleged he was hit by 15 to 20 foreign students.

A video shared by Ashok Swain, an Indian Professor of Peace and Conflict Research, shows some Indians using sticks and other weapons to attack students he identified as Nigerians.

Sharing the video, he wrote, “Nigerian students are being attacked in a University Campus near Delhi – 30,000 Nigerian students come to study in India paying money, 50,000 Indians live in Nigeria to make money.”

Meanwhile, in a swift reaction to the development, the Chairman of NIDCOM Abike Dabiri-Erewa called for calm, saying normalcy has been restored.

“There is already a written commitment by the Indian Authorities to protect our students. Any student feeling threatened should please report to the Nigerian Mission in Delhi immediately,” she tweeted Monday.

While narrating how the incident happened, she said it was “as a result of a fracas, during a football match between African and Indian students. The Nigerian Mission immediately took custody of 86 Nigerian students, invited the representatives of the Indian government, and got their commitment to ensuring the safety of the students who then returned back to campus on Sunday.

“Calm has returned to the campus. A few injuries were recorded and further investigations are ongoing. The Nigerian Mission had made it clear that the Indian authorities would be held responsible if anything happens to any of the students.”