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British schoolboy detained in Nigeria

Jason Bennetto
Friday 24 May 1996 18:02 EDT
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A British schoolboy is being forced to remain in Nigeria in defiance of official protests from the Foreign Office. The Nigerian military government freed John-Paul Mokulou, 13, on Thursday after holding him for a month, but said yesterday that he could not leave and must report with his passport to the security service twice a week.

His relatives believe he is being held in an attempt by the authorities to capture his father, who is in hiding. The Nigerian High Commissioner in London was summoned to the Foreign Office yesterday to be told of the Government's "deep concerns" over the affair.

John-Paul visited the British High Commission yesterday with his mother, who flew to Nigeria on Sunday, and his uncle. The teenager, who lives with his mother in Hampstead, north London, was arrested last month while visiting his father and other relatives in Lagos. Jason Bennetto

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