Chairman/chief executive of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has called on the United States to ensure thorough investigation into the death of a Nigerian-American, Toyin Salau.
The NIDCOM chief, in a statement signed by the commission’s spokesman, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, described the alleged murder of the 19-year-old activist in the US as “highly depressing and cruel”.
Ms Salau was found dead days after she was declared missing in the city of Tallahassee, Florida, US.
According to the Tallahassee Police Department, Salau who spoke at Black Lives Matters protests in the city was last seen on June 6, near Wahnish Way and Orange Avenue, Tallahassee.
The teenager was declared missing hours after she tweeted she was sexually assaulted by a man around Park Avenue and Richview Road, Tallahassee, Florida.
She said the man offered to give her a ride back to a church where she had sought “refuge” because of “unjust living conditions”.
“He came disguised as a man of God and ended up picking me up from nearby Saxon Street,” she tweeted. “I trusted the Holy Spirit to keep me safe.”
According to reports, the Tallahassee Community Action Agency conducted a search party on the night of June 10, starting at Bethel AME Church.
A week after her abduction, Salau was found dead on June 15.
Mrs Dabiri-Erewa commiserated with the immediate family of Salau who died advocating against oppression and injustice.
