Moscow, Russia — Sixteen Nigerian students were arrested in Russia’s capital, Moscow, for wreaking havoc inside Nigeria’s embassy. The students were reportedly angered over financial issues.
The sources within the interior ministry say the 16 students now face administrative charges for hooliganism. The will be transferred to a Moscow court for futher processing.
The trouble started at the Embassy in downtown Moscow after students reportedly expressed their dissatisfaction over Nigeria’s failure to pay their grants. According to sources, Moscow police received a fax message from the Nigerian Embassy pleading for help. The angry students went on rampage, refusing to leave the building, breaking furniture in the conference hall, making threats to destroy other sections of the embassy.
The 16 suspects were removed from the embassy building at the request of Nigerian staff, Russia’s interior ministry told local media. Moscow police officials later confirmed the incident without providing further details.
All of the detained students are enrolled at colleges of higher education in Russia.
As Russia’s news websites report, there was a similar incident last year, as Nigerian students beat up an embassy representative over non-payment of grants.
Thousands of African students have passed through the educational system in Moscow and other Russian cities in a tradition dating back to Soviet times, when the communist government subsidised their studies.