Thursday 27 July 2006

11-year old Nigerian boy abandoned in Dhaka, Bangladesh


Aloysius Abacha in Bangladesh

Linkages and Coincidences

There has been some talk about Nigerians in Diaspora and it has excited a lot of commentary about safety and security – the whole topic makes an interesting read at Ayoke’s Exodus.

However, I now read that an 11-year old Nigerian who was purportedly traveling with an aunt called Rosemary was abandoned in Dhaka, Bangladesh en-route to London where the boy’s parents are supposedly resident.

It is uncanny, that the boy’s surname is Abacha which somehow relates to another topic on Ayoke’s Exodus about a tyrannical despotic dictator who ruled and ran Nigeria into the ground before his sudden death, apparently from sexual excess.

Obviously, we should assume, the young boy is in no way related to that rotten man; and even if he is, we should not visit the sins of his forebear on him.

How did he get there?

The mystery is how he ended up in the Dhaka International Airport terminal considering they cannot find video evidence of him arriving in the company of anyone.

If he were a stowaway, he would not have survived a long-haul flight at sub-zero high altitude from wherever he might have embarked to Dhaka, though that route does leave one suspicious of where he might have boarded if he was on his way to London.

A victim of trafficking?

On further analysis, one might wonder if the boy’s name is really Aloysius Abacha, and if it is and that name cannot be found on any of the flight records, under what assumed name was he traveling?

If he was registered under a presumed name, could he have potentially been a victim of child-trafficking, because, by now, the guardian should have notified authorities searching for him.

Conversely, an area which might draw brick-bats is, do the Bangladeshis have efficient and reliable records of passengers that pass through their international airports and do their recording devices record enough information to really ascertain who has been through the airport?

The boy arrived in Dhaka on Sunday and he is now in the care of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association, for his safety and being treated more like a victim of some unfortunate situation – many thanks, to the women.

At 11 years old, I would hope that he is articulate enough to give enough information leading to tracing his relations so that he can be re-united with his loved ones.

If known, contact please

If anyone recognizes this young man, I think it would be expedient and prudent to contact the BNWLA using the following information - Telephone: 88-02-8125866, 8123060, Fax : 88-02-8125866, bnwlaho@bnwla.org

Thanks!

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