Tinubu’s aide on students’ engagement calls for immediate probe of Nigerian student murdered in Canada

Sunday Asefon, President Bola Tinubu’s Senior Special Assistant on Student Engagement, has insisted on an investigation into the events that led to the death of a Nigerian student studying in Canada.

The call for a probe follows the killing of 19-year-old Nigerian Stephen Afolabi Opaso, who was allegedly killed by police officers in Manitoba on December 31, 2023.

Details surrounding Stephen’s death remain unclear. The Winnipeg Police Department, in a statement on Winnipeg.ca, explained that officers responded to reports of a young male behaving “erratically.”.

Sunday Asefon, in a statement, said, “The impression in the public as gathered during an interaction with the official National Association of Nigerian Students earlier on the case is that the killing was racially motivated as the demised student was not welding a gun at the time of the incident and that the police officers would have acted differently if he were to be a white.

“The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairperson of NIDCOM should ensure that the incident is not swept under the carpet.

“NANS and the entire Nigerian students should remain calm. We will follow the case up diligently until the Canadian authorities give a true account of the death of the Nigerian Student and compensate his family accordingly to avoid a diplomatic row that may lead to the closure of their embassy in Nigeria by Nigerian student Apex body NANS as earlier threatened if no action is taken by Federal Government of Nigeria within 3 working days.”