THE TRUTH BEHIND THE MURDER OF A NIGERIAN STUDENT ( KENNEDY ) IN FAMAGUSTA NORTHERN CYPRUS

Nigerian Student Murdered by Locals in Northern Cyprus 

A Nigerian university student of was killed on Wednesday, reportedly by locals in the Famagusta area.

Kennedy Taomwabwa, 28, who was a student at  Eastern Mediterranean University, was reportedly abducted from the city centre by a group of people.

Taomwabwa was returned home and killed by a group of eight locals, including three women, according to the police.

His body was found by the police near a pond outside the city. An examination revealed that he had been beaten to death.

Three suspects, who were allegedly involved in the murder, were detained by the police. In their testimony, one of the suspects said they witnessed the murder even though they did not take part in it.

Police said there were five other suspects, adding that the motivation of the murder was still unclear.                                         Meanwhil university students protested the murder of their friend, chanting that they wanted justice.

Friends of the killed student said he had been kidnapped previously in a similar way a week ago.

The university administration also issued a statement that said the murder had caused them great distress.

The National Association of Nigerian Students Turkish Zone has also shown effort to ensure that Justice will prevail how ever the police are still investigating and also are assuring Nigerian Students for safety and Justice.

So far, six of the seven, aged 16-28 and including two women, have been arrested while the alleged ringleader Nidai Sanli is still on the run after he managed to escape police in the mixed-village of Pyla on Thursday.

Four of the group, including Sanli, were said to have crossed into the Republic through the Ayios Nikolaos checkpoint in Famagusta to escape the Turkish Cypriot authorities. The other three were caught earlier.

Running low on money and supplies, the four then made their way to Pyla to meet someone who was said to be bringing them money. They were apparently met by police and one was caught, while Sanli managed to escape at the last minute. The other two then handed themselves in, Kibris Postasi reported.

The murder has enraged the Nigerian community in the north and resulted in protests at the Eastern Mediterranean University in Famagusta where Dede studied. The protesters demanded justice for the murder.

The university said the students have long complained about being made targets by the press and that they were always presumed guilty by society.

The youngest suspect, aged 16, has admitted to police she was at the crime scene but said she was not with the other suspects.

Her father told the judge at the Famagusta district court on Wednesday: “I will not hire a lawyer for her. If she is guilty she should be punished. I don’t want her to be a bad example to this country.”

Also in court, the parents of the other two who were caught begged their sons to come clean. “Tell them what you know. Don’t protect anyone. Don’t sacrifice yourselves because you want to protect them,” they were reported as saying by the Turkish Cypriot media.

Another one of the suspects said on Friday: “I am regretful. I handed myself in to tell the truth, I didn’t run.”

The plight of African students in the north has been well known for a while now. In 2017 alone, four African students are said to have died for various reasons.

The number of foreign students in the north has skyrocketed in recent years without the necessary infrastructure development.