By EMMANUEL OGEBE

Prof Solomon Tarfa a missionary arrested from his orphanage in Nigeria on Christmas Day last year and imprisoned since was released this week.

His release came two days after the US Government designated Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern for religious persecution and after almost a year in captivity.

Human rights advocates had written to the US Commission on International Religious Freedom to classify him a Prisoner of Conscience following his persecution as a Christian missionary serving orphans especially after his wife and lawyer met with a USCIRF Commissioner during a private visit to Nigeria this year.

Shortly before his release the Nigerian President replaced the Christian head of NAPTIP Dr Julie Okah-Donli with a Muslim after it appeared that she resisted the use of the agency for the unconstitutional persecution of persons.

The National Agency for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons was used to arrest Prof Tarfa amongst others. Dr Okah-Donli is believed to have been retaliated against for insisting on fairness and accountability to global partners and human rights practices in these matters.

According to his legal team, Prof Tarfa is still facing trial on bogus charges and was only released on bail. The Kano state government carted away the orphans to a worse setting while the Kaduna state government demolished his Du Mercy orphanage home while he was in prison.

The detention of Prof Tarfa received attention in UK where it came before members of the House of Lords.

It is unfortunate that Kano State which freed the killers of a Deeper Life pastor’s wife Mrs Bridget, which deported street urchins after using them for under age voting has detained a kindhearted humanitarian for his generosity to the vulnerable.

Overnight, scores of school kids were abducted from their schools in Gen Buhari’s home state on the day he arrived there on vacation.

MPs had vowed to take on Buhari in his supposed address to the parliament on insecurity after the slaying of 100 farmers.

However, he mysteriously took off to his hometown for a week while Rome burns!

This is considered a ruse to avoid appearing as informed sources maintain he’s incapacitated by dementia. Buhari’s ineptitude and incapacity has destroyed Nigeria as much as the terrorism has.

It is unclear if security arrangements for the presidents unusual pre-Christmas vacation impacted the security of the schoolchildren.

The abduction also occurred the day of the ICC’s announcement of its findings that its now able to proceed on Nigeria war crimes. Sadly this is a day late and a dollar short. Lightening has struck Nigeria’s school children again - Chibok 2014, Dapchi 2018 and Katsina 2020 - and we are only talking of the triple digit mass casualty abductions. Rather than Leah returned more Leah’s have been taken!

Finally we note reports that Nigeria finally disclosed the arrest of two suspects in the abduction of American missionary Walton in the neighboring country of Nigeria.

Curiously the arrests in November were not announced till the following month which is odd for a police accustomed to premature celebration. That the American missionary’s abductors were Fulani herdsmen possibly explains the official reticence at disclosure. Sadly it is not the first time that Americans were victims of Fulani herdsmen in either country.

It is however disturbing that Nigeria has become a criminal exporting and importing corridor with Niger as a wanted fugitives was recently repatriated from there.

Emmanuel Ogebe is of US NIGERIA LAW GROUP, Washington, DC, USA.

PHOTO: International human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe meeting with counsel to Prof Tarfa and USCIRF Commissioner and Trump Appointee Johnnie Moore during a private visit to Nigeria

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