Nigerian miners previously stranded in a remote village in the Central African Republic (CAR) are now in the care of Nigerian embassy officials in Bangui, the capital city.
The development follows a viral video posted last Thursday in which six Nigerian men claimed they were abandoned and mistreated by a Chinese mining company that recruited them for work in the French-speaking country.
The miners, who identified their location as Senye, in the Bambari region of CAR, appealed for assistance and urged Nigerians to draw attention to their situation.
In response, the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM) confirmed it was coordinating efforts to evacuate the group from the isolated site. The agency said it would facilitate the issuance of emergency travel documents, arrange for their transport to Bangui, and secure return flights to Nigeria.
In an update issued Wednesday, NiDCOM confirmed that the miners had arrived in Bangui and were now under the care of embassy officials.
“A big gratitude to the officials of the Nigerian Embassy as well as military personnel of the CAR that accompanied them on their journey to the capital,” the statement read.
The commission also disclosed that the individual who facilitated the miners’ recruitment is currently in Nigeria and has been identified.
