Murder of Nigerian student reveals plight of Africans in TRNC

The murder of Nigerian student Kennedy Taomwabwa Dede in Famagusta last week has brought to fore the difficulties faced by African students studying in various universities in the country. 

Kennedy Taomwabwa Dede, 28, an Architecture student at the Eastern Mediterranean University in Magusa was kidnapped by 7 people on Monday, January, 29 from his resident in Magusa and taken to the Çanakkale lake in the outskirt of the city where he was seriously beaten and killed.

He was left half naked in the Çanakkale Pond with half his body in the lake and the other half outside.

Following the incident, 7 suspects namely; Ozan Korkurt, 18, Zekeriya Founder, 22, Burcu Çelik, 16, Onur Körkurt, 21, Simge Dağdur, 28, Aydan Sel and Nidai Şanlı, 28 were arrested in connection with the murder and charged to court for murder, human abduction and serious assault.

A recent interview of some students by Turkish Cypriot daily, Kibris, revealed that most of the problems faced by some students in the TRNC is because educational agencies abroad present the country as a land of promise.

They tell them that it is an EU country, a country with low living costs and a country with high employment opportunities and consequently these students are lured to the TRNC.

They pay the agencies a fee in the hope that they will be able to study and work at the same time but unfortunately, upon arrival in the country, these students are faced with a completely different situation. 

According to Kibris, interviewees said that they had problems finding accommodation because they were African. Finding work was difficult and if employed, they were paid less than the other workers.

Many of them, after paying for rent, travel and food are unable to pay tuition fees which means that they lose their university place and have no legal right to stay in the country.

Trapped in poverty, they are exploited and can only find low-paid work or are given work as “runners” in illegal activities which gives them low pay or even no pay.

The daily say that YÖDAK (Higher Education Supervision and Accreditation Board) and the universities continue to work on overcoming the legal issues that African students have faced.

However, the students, who fall into this situation, are afraid to speak out or demand their rights because they fear deportation. For this reason, they preferred not to give their names to the newspaper saying that they want to meet with President Akinci to ask for help.

Sourced from Kibris