LATE GABRIEL SORIWEI
BEVERLY HILLS, CA, October 15, (THEWILL) – The family of a slain Nigerian student, late Gabriel Soriwei, who was a first year student of Electrical/Electronic/Engineering at the Cyprus International University, Nicosia, North Cyprus, has called on the Federal Government to call the authorities concerned to right the wrongs done the family after the death of their 20-year-old son.
A statement signed on Monday by the father of the slain student, Mr. Patrick Soriwei, noted that the boy fell into a coma after a female driver knocked him down on July 13 and eventually died on September 7.
The statement said the Cyprus International University, on September 12, flew Gabriel’s remains back to Nigeria aboard the same Turkish Airline he flew in February as cargo for the family to clear without any message of condolence.
” While the family has accepted the reality of the painful loss of our child, his death has raised some issues about the value placed on the life of the Nigerian outside the shores of this country, ” the statement however lamented.
According to the bereaved family, ” First, neither the Cyprus International University nor the family of the woman who drove the car that killed Gabriel has found it necessary to at least write to the family to condole with us on the death of this young man who until his death was contributing to the economy of Cyprus by paying school fees as a foreign student.
”It is also unjust that the authorities of Cyprus are hiding the identity of the woman who killed our child from the family. The police authorities in Cyprus insisted that it was the practice in their country to ensure that such a person was shielded from the family of the victim. ”
The statement said further: ” The police told the father of the deceased, Mr. Patrick Soriwei, during a visit to Nicosia that the Turkish woman lost control of the vehicle which knocked down Gabriel. It was however gathered that the woman was drunk even though we have no proof of it. The police said that the woman was detained for three days and released.
”Painfully, our investigations revealed that the university which was said to be pursuing the case and which is host to about 700 Nigerian students, has shown lack of interest in the issue. Several entreaties made by the family to the school authorities to send the belongings of the late Gabriel to Nigeria have been ignored. ”
The family also said it has informed the Nigerian Embassy in Cyprus and the mission there did not seem to see this screaming demand to defend of the rights of Nigerians in a foreign country as a priority.
”The best the Nigerian Mission in Ankara has done was to send one Uche to the university to find out the cause of the death. The Mission has not rendered the necessary assistance in getting the police to write a report on his death. This delay in writing this report, we believe, is inspired by a plot to subvert the process of justice in this matter, ” it also lamented.
The family said it has therefore written to the President Goodluck Jonathan , the leadership of the National Assembly, with copies of the letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Turkish Embassy in Nigeria, and others.
”While the Soriwei family intends to pursue this matter to the best of our abilities, we urge the Federal Government and all Nigerians of good conscience to come our aid in the search for justice over the killing of this innocent Nigerian child, ” the family said.
It added that the life of a Nigerian child should be treated more decently than that of a stray animal, saying” the situation doesn’t seem to be different in this case. ”
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