Nigeria’s ambassador to Morocco, Abdallah Wali, said on Sunday that there are at least 100 Nigerians currently languishing in Moroccan prisons.

Wali who disclosed this to newsmen in Sokoto said that most of them were being held for offences relating to drugs, petty crimes and illegal migration, adding that there were only about 100 Nigerians legally resident in the North African country.

He said that the mission was partnering with the foreign affairs ministry to stem the tide of illegal migration of Nigerians to Morocco and that it had conducted series of workshops to sensitise Nigerians on the risk involved in illegal travelling.

“The whole idea of visiting Morocco illegally is because of its proximity to Europe. It takes only 15 kilometres to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Spain,” he said.

The envoy also commended the federal government for taking measures to shore up funding of the nation’s missions abroad