Israel-Egypt border
Photo: AP
Nigeria (archives)
Photo: AFP
Infiltrator says killed 12 in Nigeria
Young man seeking refuge in Israel after crossing border from Sinai confesses he burnt down house of rival family. He fails to express regret, says fears for his life in his homeland
Murderer seeking refuge in Israel
? A Nigerian citizen in his early 20s, who infiltrated Israel through the Egyptian border about a month ago, says he murdered 12 members of one family in his homeland.
The young man said his entire family was murdered by a rival family in his village more than half a year ago. He decided to avenge their deaths and set fire to the other family's home, killing 12 people.
The man made the confession while being questioned at the unit handling shelter seekers after he submitted a request to be recognized as a refugee.
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After the murder, he escaped from the village and arrived in Israel several months later through Chad, Sudan and the Egyptian border.
The suspected murderer did not express regret for his actions, and only said he did not want to return to his homeland for fear of being murdered too.
Officials at the Population, Immigration and Border Authority said the phenomenon of foreign nationals seeking refuge in Israel after committing crimes in their homelands.
'Real refugees suffer'
Haim Efraim, commander of the unit handling shelter seekers said that "the young man told us his story calmly, and did not show any signs of distress or regret. Alongside the humanitarian cases, we encounter people who have committed crimes in their homeland – starting from a bank robbery and ending with murder. We will ensure that there is nothing preventing us from sending him back to Nigeria."Efraim discussed additional cases of infiltrators fleeing the law. "There was a Nigerian man who murdered five American workers, another African who robbed a bank, people who were involved in hit and run accidents. Such infiltrators hurt the refuge seekers who are real victims, because it increases our level of precaution and degrades the concept of a refugee."
Amnon Ben-Ami, the authority's director-general, addressed the phenomenon as well, saying that "we are encountering an increasing number of refuge seekers taking advantage of the State's humanism and the desire to defend those whose life is in danger. These false requests hurt the real refugees and lengthen the time it takes to handle them."
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