The Nigerian embassy in
Washington, D.C., has frowned at a recent event in the U.S. capital where some
“victims’’ of terrorism and farmers/herders conflict in northern Nigeria made
“false” claims against the Federal Government.
The event, which was a panel
discussion tagged “Insecurity in Nigeria: Eyewitnesses Speak’’, was hosted by
The Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based conservative think tank, on June
11.
The embassy’s reaction came in a
letter signed by Mr Mohammed Suleiman, the Senior Counsellor/Head of Chancery,
on behalf of the Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S.
A copy of the letter, dated June
18, was made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York at the
weekend.
It said: “The attention of the
Embassy of Nigeria, Washington, D.C., has been drawn to an event your
Foundation hosted on June 11, 2019, where you brought alleged Nigerian victims
of violence and insecurity: Rebecca Sharibu, mother of Leah Sharibu; Alheri
Bawa Magaji and Napoleon Adamu, who gave false and uncorroborated allegations
about their experiences.
“The Embassy thought that as a
reputable and respected organisation, you would allow unbiased individuals at
the event to make their contributions.
“But to their dismay, no
opportunity was given for any intervention on the presentations, which is
uncharacteristic of your Foundation.
“In this regard, the Embassy
wishes to register its very strong displeasure, and to protest and request that
the Foundation provide a platform where the Nigerian Government and other
unbiased individuals can inform the American public of the true security
situation in Nigeria.’’
NAN reports that the forum,
streamed live on The Heritage Foundation website, featured four witnesses,
including Rebecca Sharibu, mother of Leah Sharibu, who was kidnapped by
terrorists over a year ago.
Leah, a Christian girl, is among
the 110 secondary school students abducted by the West African Province of the
Islamic State (ISWAP), a Boko Haram faction, at Dapchi, Yobe, on Feb. 19, 2018.
About five of the girls died in
captivity, while others were released weeks later by the terrorists, who held
on to Sharibu reportedly because of her refusal to renounce her Christian
faith.
Speaking through one Gloria
Puldu, her translator, Rebecca alleged that her daughter was a victim of
religious persecution, and pleaded with the U.S. government to intervene.
She said she had not heard from
the Nigerian government for months about efforts to rescue her daughter after
President Muhammadu Buhari promised to do his best to secure her release.
Alheri Magaji, an alleged victim
of Fulani herdsmen attacks in southern Kaduna, accused the federal and Kaduna
state governments of backing the attackers to wipe out Christian communities in
the area.
Another witness, Mercy Maisamari,
narrated how the herdsmen allegedly kidnapped her alongside other family
members from their home in southern Kaduna and held them hostage for over 12
days.
Ms Maisamari said security
agencies later arrested her father, who was also held and beaten by the
kidnappers when he went to pay their ransom, for allegedly participating in the
killing of 66 Fulani herdsmen.
Mr Magaji and Ms Maisamari
accused the government of inaction and the Nigerian media of silence whenever
Fulani herdsmen killed their people almost on a daily basis.
On his part, Napoleon Adamu from
Agatu, an agrarian community in Benue that has suffered deadly herdsmen
attacks, said the killings were well organised and politically motivated.
However, the embassy emphasised
that no Nigerian “irrespective of religious creed’’ or ethnic affiliation was
being persecuted as alleged by the witnesses.
“The Nigerian government is
determined to address all the security challenges the country is currently
facing,’’ it said. (NAN)
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