Goa government is planning to withdraw cases related to “minor” offence against Nigerians living in the beach State and to start deporting those residing illegally.

“The state government will withdraw minor cases against the Nigerians and begin process to deport them,” Parrikar told reporters here yesterday.

He said cases related to minor offence (against Nigerians) in various courts would also be reviewed.

Those Nigerians who are undergoing imprisonment will continue to be in jail and will have to complete their sentence, he said.

The state police have also begun an extensive crackdown on Nigerians living in Goa.

A senior police official said only those with valid documents will be allowed to live in the State while the rest would be referred for deportation.

A special squad led by superintendent of police has been formed to verify the Nigerians. The squad has been visiting places where Nigerians are living in a colony.

“We are not harassing them. Instead, we want that no one should be illegally staying in Goa,” a police official said.

A Nigerian was found dead with stab wounds in Mapusa town Panaji, triggering protests from around 200 Nigerians who blocked a road on the city outskirts last week.

Following the incident, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar told reporters that he had asked the police department to comb the entire State and locate Nigerians and other foreign nationals staying without visa and other documentation.

Meanwhile, a Nigerian national Anil Kester Ible, who runs a restaurant, said the incident has made life bad for his compatriots as many of them have fled the State fearing police action.

He said they will come back after the situation normalises but the “incident has painted all the Nigerians as bad”, which is not correct.

The intervention of Nigerian government on the issue would ease the tension, allowing genuine Nigerians to live in the State peacefully, he added.

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