Nigeria has arrested 45 Chinese illegal textiles traders in its main northern city of Kano and plans to deport them, the city’s top immigration official said on Wednesday.
　　Nigerian law forbids foreigners from certain trades meant to be reserved for locals, including selling clothes.
　　"Our men arrested 45 Chinese, 11 of them are women. We carried out this exercise to salvage our economy," Kano controller of immigration Emmanuel Ifeadi told Reuters.
　　"We were directed to clear them from the market and this is going to be a continuous exercise ... Those people arrested now will soon be deported."
　　China’s textiles trade with Africa is an emotive issue in Nigeria. Many Nigerians blame cheap Chinese imports for the decline of local textiles mills in the past few decades -- although in reality chronic power shortages are at least as much to blame.
　　China is a major investor in Nigeria, making up some 25 percent of Nigeria’s foreign direct investment, according to trade and investment ministry figures. It is also a growing buyer of Nigeria’s high quality crude oil.
　　Chinese imports make up such a large portion of trade flows that the central bank put 10 percent of its reserves into the Chinese yuan last year.
　　【新闻快讯】
　　5月22日，尼日利亚移民局以“在尼非法从事纺织品贸易活动”为由在尼日利亚北部城市卡诺的堪汀夸里纺织品市场逮捕了45名中国商人，其中包括34名男性、11名女性。本报记者从中国驻尼日利亚大使馆获悉，尼日利亚移民部门当天在全国范围内对在尼非法居留和务工的外国人员进行集中整治。在拉各斯、卡诺等地先后有近百名中国公民被扣押。
　　尼日利亚上个世纪有250家纺织企业，但由于长期受到国内缺电、基础设施和生产设备落后等因素的影响，再加上尼联邦政府为满足国内需求被迫允许通过提高纺织品进口关税的方式进口部分国外纺织品，截至目前，尼日利亚仅剩15家纺织企业在正常运作。
　　尼政府出于保护本国就业及工业产业等需要，对外籍工作人员实行配额管理。为保护尼日利亚的纺织品产业，尼法律有“禁止从国外进口纺织品”的规定。也就是说，只有获得工作配额签证许可的外国人才有在尼工作的资格和权利，才能在尼开展商业活动。
　　中国驻尼日利亚大使馆及驻拉各斯总领馆在知悉这一事件发生后，已在第一时间召开紧急会议启动应急机制，并向尼相关部门如外交部、移民局等部门提出严正交涉。驻尼使馆政治部主任丁建华告诉记者，尼使馆及拉各斯总领馆已派员赶赴出事地点，看望慰问被关押的中国公民，同时敦促尼方切实采取行动保障中方人员的合法权益。