The Government of the Republic of Benin has held many Nigerians for failing to pay quarantine fees after being kept for 14 days on fears of COVID-19.
A source in Cotonou said Nigerians are made to pay as much as N900, 000.00 as a fee, depending on the hotel they are forced to stay.
There is palpable fear the Beninoise authorities are bent on punishing Nigerians for President Muhammadu Buhari’s border closure policy.
The policy which came into effect in 2019 has resulted in revenue loses running into billions of dollars for many ECOWAS countries including the Benin Republic.
A source from Cotonou, who cannot be named in order not to jeopardise his safety, said many Nigerians are being held in the country’s several detention camps.
“Since the Nigerian government closed its borders, many Nigerians have been targeted and arrested on spurious claims and thrown into detention until they pay so much to buy their freedom,” the source said.
“Recently, they have been using the coronavirus claims to arrest Nigerian people and force them to pay quarantine fees.”
The source said the COVID-19 clampdown mostly affects Nigerians arriving at the West African country from different parts of Europe and the United States.
As soon as they disembark from the aeroplane that brought them and made to continue their journey to Nigeria, the Beninoise authorities effect their arrest.
Some Nigerian returnees from Europe and the United States are forcefully taken to Benin Royal Hotel, said to be owned by the country’s President, Patrice Guillaume Athanase Talon.
“Immigration officials often tell them our government will pay for their quarantine and COVID-19 test and that they will be allowed to go home if they tested negative to coronavirus,” the Beninoise source told our correspondent.s
“With that, some Nigerians who look affluent are taken to Benin Royal Hotel owned by the family of our president.
“But some days into the quarantine, the hotel management will demand payment from the Nigerians and the amount is always very huge.”
“For instance, there were some Nigerians they brought to Benin Royal Hotel some weeks ago.
“Fortunately, all of them returned negative and were issued certificates to show they were free of the deadly virus,” the Beninoise source said.
After being declared coronavirus-free, the Beninoise authorities insisted the Nigerians must pay the quarantine fees before being allowed to return home.
Nigerians who cannot afford the outrageous fees get their passports seized and promptly moved to remote detention camps scattered around Cotonou.
This newspaper obtained an armature video of security operatives beating a man who allegedly went to one of the detention camps to secure the release of his relation.
The video, which was shot in the night, showed a man shouting as heavily-armed security operatives tackled him inside a compound.
A relation of one of the detainees (names withheld) confirmed what our source from Cotonou earlier told this newspaper.
“The ordeal started after my brother, who was arrested alongside other Nigerians by immigration officials tested negative to coronavirus.
“The management of Benin Royal Hotel, said to be owned by the country’s president, presented a bill of N900, 000 to each of them as charges for their accommodation for the duration of the quarantine,” she said on the telephone.
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“When they complained of not having the money to defray the bills, the hotel officials threatened to deal with them and they did.
“We learnt they brought in the police and later soldiers, all in a bid to compel them to pay but when they couldn’t, the security operatives forcefully collected their passports and whisked them away to a detention camp in a remote part of Cotonou.
“We are told that the government gave an order that foreigners held for COVID-19 must pay quarantine fees before being allowed to leave the country.
“We don’t know what they do to those who test positive to the virus. I dread to think of what can possibly happen when you consider how they treat those whose tests come out negative”
She, therefore, appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, to intervene and save the lives of Nigerians, adding many have spent days and weeks in secret detention camps.
She argued the authorities of Benin Republic are not concerned about stopping the spread of COVID-19 but to extort Nigerians passing through the country.
The NEXT EDITION obtained COVID-19-free certificate, which was issued to a detainee, who was able to pay his way out of one of the country’s detention camps.
When The NEXT EDITION contacted the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Oneyama, on the phone to speak on the issue, he said he was not aware of the matter.
In a short message to this newspaper, Mr. Onyeama stated, “Not aware of it. Call our Charge d’ Affairs.”
However, attempts to call or send a text message to the Charge d’ Affairs were unsuccessful.
