October 15, 2014.
NewsRescue
By: Ibrahim Olalekan
Some victims of the March 15 recruitment conducted by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) protested yesterday in the streets of Benin City over unfulfilled promises made by President Goodluck Jonathan following the incident.
The recruitment exercise which was poorly conducted by the Immigration service left about 19 applicants dead while several others sustained injuries following a stampede that occurred during the exercise in various parts of the country.
The Nation newspaper reported that protesters carried placards with the inscription: “Fulfill your promises”, “Allow the souls of the departed NIS victims to rest in peace”, “We are traumatised”, and “Immigration victims still without jobs.”
Comrade Edmund Osumah, who lead the protesters said the rally was organised to remind the government that it is seven months after the recruitment tragedy occurred.
Osumah said he feared names of those not involved in the exercise might have been smuggled in by the committee that was set up by President Goodluck Jonathan to probe the incident.
His words: Its seven months since Mr President made a promise to give employment to the affected victims. We have not heard anything from the Presidency.
“They are here to cry out to the world. They are living in pains and traumatised. We are appealing that whatever bottleneck, hindering the promise should be removed and the promise fulfilled.”