Following the report that Canadian embassy had refused to grant visas to Chief of Defence Staff Christopher Musa and other top military officers in Nigeria, prominent human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong has voiced his support for these measures.
In a statement, Effiong argued that “nothing hurts [corrupt officials] more than denying them entry into countries where sanity prevails.”
Effiong, who took to his social media handle on Friday morning, emphasize the need for international accountability for Nigerian officials, particularly those who may be involved in corruption or human rights violations.
He believes that visa restrictions not only serve as a powerful deterrent but also help expose the stark contrast between the poor governance in Nigeria and the functional systems in countries where these officials seek entry.
“Western and European countries should impose more visa restrictions on Nigerian public officials.
“Nothing hurts them more than denying them entry into countries where sanity prevails.
“They love the benefits of good governance abroad which they’ve denied Nigerians of.”, the lawyer wrote.
Nigeria’s National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, had earlier slammed the Canadian embassy for denying visas to Chief of Defence Staff Christopher Musa and other top military officers.
Ribadu’s comments came after Musa revealed at the maiden annual lecture of the National Association of the Institute for Security Studies (AANISS), held in Abuja on Thursday, that he and his team were invited to Canada for an event honouring war veterans, but half of the delegation was denied visas.
Musa said, “Yesterday, I was meant to be in Canada. There’s an event to honour our veterans, those that were injured during battles, and we were meant to be there.
“We were invited with our team. Half has gone and half has been denied. It’s very disappointing.”
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