A Nigerian student at the NOIDA International University,
India, Precious Amalcima, who was among Africans
attacked by Indians, shared his ordeal with TOLUWANI
ENIOLA
Can you tell us your background?
I am a 23-year-old final year student of Political
Science at NOIDA International University, India. I am
from Edo State. My brother, Endurance, who was also
attacked, is studying Economics in the same
institution.
What led to your attack by the Indians on Monday?
Few days ago, five Nigerians were accused of killing a
17-year-old Indian student, Manish Khari, who died of a
suspected drug overdose. The police arrested the
Nigerians and later released them. The five Nigerians
accused of killing the Indian boy are also students of
NOIDA International University.
So, some Indian locals went to the homes of the
accused to harass them, claiming they killed the
Indian boy. The mother of the deceased was trying to
take the case to court. The police released the
Nigerians on Sunday (March 26). I think that enraged
the Indians. On Monday, while the convocation was
going on in our school, we (my brother and I) asked
the police if we could go out. This was due to the
tension then. The police gave us the green light to
step out.
That evening, I was not feeling well. So I told my
younger brother, Endurance, to get me some drugs.
When he came back, we decided to go for shopping at
a certain mall close to our hostel. While we were
inside the mall, we got information that the locals
were attacking blacks. We began to panic as we
considered which route to follow to avoid the
(rampaging) locals.
Why didn’t you hide inside the mall?
No one was trying to help. The Indians at the mall
became hostile and asked us to go out. Suddenly, we
saw Indians, who we think were more than 500,
running towards us. They held sticks and other
weapons. We entered another plaza and asked for help
but nobody was interested in helping us to take cover.
We hid somewhere for about 25 minutes but the crowd
soon caught up with us. They dragged out my brother
from where he was hiding and began to beat him.
They also dragged me out from where I was hiding.
They stabbed me on the shoulder with a knife as I
cried for help. It was our cries that attracted other
students, who called the police. The police came to
our aid and rushed my brother and I to the hospital.
The medical officers at the hospital refused to treat
us. They were even laughing at us.
How come they refused to attend to you when it was
the police who took you to the hospital?
It was not only us who were attacked; other blacks in
the city were also attacked. So, the police had to
leave us at the hospital to rescue others. So, I
dragged my brother out of the hospital. Fortunately,
we saw an Indian, who was a Good Samaritan. The
Indian took us to another hospital where we eventually
received medical assistance. The (Nigerian) embassy
officials later came to commiserate with us. They took
good care of us and even paid the hospital bills. So
after three days, on Wednesday, we were discharged
while the police escorted us home.
Was that the first time you would experience such an
attack?
That was the first time of being attacked in India. But
that was not the first time that blacks, especially
Nigerians, have been attacked in the country. In fact,
Indians attack blacks, especially Nigerians, every year.
Although there are some good Indians in the country,
others have been generally hostile to us. This year,
they attacked blacks in other states. Last year, they
killed many Africans. If you check the records, their
attacks on Africans have become an annual ritual.
Why are they hostile to blacks and Nigerians?
I think Indians don’t really like blacks, especially
Nigerians. They think Nigerians are drug peddlers. In
the state we are studying, almost all Nigerians are
students and we don’t deal in drugs as being claimed.
Why did you and your brother choose to study in India?
We developed an interest to study in India because of
India’s interesting movies which we grew up watching
and adore. We thought all Indians were nice people
but our recent experiences shows that we were naïve.
Did you regret coming to India to study?
If I knew (Indians don’t like Nigerians) I would not
have come to India. With this experience, I will not
even advise any of my siblings to consider India again
because of the insecurity and the undue treatment
meted out to blacks. I definitely regret coming to India
to study. While the mob pounced on us, I thought we
were going to be killed. I did not even remember to
pray. I was only crying and begging them while the
attack lasted. If not for the police intervention, we
would have been dead by now.
Do you think the Indian government and the police have
a hand in the attacks?
The Indian government is capable of stopping the
problem but I don’t think they are serious about it – as
such attacks have been occurring over the years. They
renew their promises of protecting Africans every year
but they have not been able to live up to their
promises.
What is the present situation in NOIDA?
We are living in fear. For now, we (students) have
been advised to stay indoors since Monday. The
embassy has been supplying welfare materials to us.
Many good Indians also came to the hospital to
apologise on behalf of the mob. Some Indians also
donated welfare materials to us. If you don’t have
food, you would request and they would get it for you;
and water too. They have been helping us in that
regard. Some Indian groups have also risen to the
occasion, donating welfare materials. The Nigerian
embassy has been very supportive. They asked for our
bills and I am sure they will offset them. I went back
to the hospital again today (Thursday) for further
check up and to get eye drops. My dad asked us to
come back home but the ambassador pleaded that he
should allow us to stay, promising him that things
would get better.
Do you plan to relocate to Nigeria?
I don’t plan to relocate to Nigeria because it would
mean starting my course all over again.
What do you want the Federal Government to do about
now?
I don’t know exactly what to say because I am
devastated. My brother has been resting since we
were discharged from the hospital. The Federal
Government should talk to the Indian Government to
stop this kind of attack. If they don’t want us to study
in their country, they should tell us. The Federal
Government should withdraw their cooperation by
sanctioning Indian companies in Nigeria. If they cannot
guarantee our safety, I don’t see any reason why
Indians should be making billions of naira in Nigeria
while we are facing undue treatment in their country.
So far, we are impressed by the intervention of
officials of the Nigerian embassy, who warned the
Indian authorities not to allow the attack to happen
again. The Indian police have apologised too. The only
problem is that we have been restricted to stay
indoors. We hope that things will get better in days
ahead.
What do you want the Indian police to do on this
matter?
The Indian Government and the police authorities
should not sweep this matter under the carpet. They
should fish out the attackers and ensure that there is
justice. Ensuring justice on this matter would serve as
a deterrent to others. If they don’t arrest the culprits,
more attacks would still happen. These attackers
should be treated as scapegoats.
Source: PUNCH
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