By Enyichukwu Enemanna
There are strong indications that United Arab Emirates (UAE) has imposed a fresh visa restriction on Nigeria following a fracas between two cult groups, Eiye and Aiye in the Sharjah region.
This is coming barely a year after the emirate announced a suspension on Nigerian visas after two rival cult groups, BlackAxe and The Aromate Group, also known as Barggas, had a clash also in Sharjah.
This resulted in casualties, including the number one leader of the Aromate Group.
Under the latest ban, though no official statement has been released by the Emirati government to its effect, multiple travel agencies and residents in Dubai have confirmed the development.
A resident who pleaded anonymity, said a 10:00 p.m. curfew had been imposed on all male Africans living in the region.
Efforts to obtain an official statement from the UAE embassy in Nigeria proved abortive.
A video surfaced on the social media last week in which a group of men with machetes were yelling in a parking lot in an apartment, chasing one other and damaging public properties.
The police in a statement on July 21, said the suspects are of African origin and warned residents against engaging in violence.
“The Dubai Police has arrested a group of people, who were engaged in a heated argument in their residence at late hours. The group of African people appeared in a viral video on social media platforms while fighting in a public place and damaging properties,” the statement read.
According to the police, a criminal case has been registered against the suspects who will be referred to the public prosecution for further action.
