Canadian Visa Restriction: Lawyer Inibehe Effiong Calls For More Visa Ban On Nigerian Public Officials
Inibehe made the call on Friday when he expressed his support for the reported decision of the Canadian embassy to deny visas to Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and other senior military officers.
Inibehe Effiong, the popular Nigerian human rights lawyer, has called for more visa bans on Nigerian public officials by foreign countries, saying it hurts them more than any other sanction.
Inibehe made the call on Friday when he expressed his support for the reported decision of the Canadian embassy to deny visas to Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and other senior military officers.
Effiong, in a statement shared on social media on Friday, argued that such visa restrictions serve as a crucial accountability measure against Nigerian officials, particularly those implicated in corruption and human rights violations.
“Nothing hurts them more than denying them entry into countries where sanity prevails,” Effiong stated.
He added that Nigerian public officials often enjoy the benefits of good governance abroad while failing to implement similar standards at home.
He called on more Western and European nations to impose similar visa restrictions on Nigerian public officials as a deterrent to poor governance.
His comments come amid controversy surrounding Canada’s refusal to grant visas to the CDS and other Nigerian military officials invited to an event honouring war veterans in Canada.
The National Security Adviser. Nuhu Ribadu, had condemned the Canadian embassy’s decision after General Musa revealed at a security lecture in Abuja on Thursday that only half of the invited delegation was granted entry.
“Yesterday, I was meant to be in Canada for an event to honour our veterans, those injured in battle.
“We were invited with our team, but half were denied visas. It’s very disappointing,” Musa said.
Meanwhile, the Canadian High Commission in Nigeria stated that it could not comment on the status of individual visa applications for privacy reasons.
“The High Commission of Canada in Nigeria is aware of media reports related to planned travel to Canada by senior officials.
“However, for privacy reasons, we are unable to provide any comment on the status of visa applications of specific individuals,” the Commission posted in a statement seen by SaharaReporters.
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