•Lawyer reveals name of second American diplomat who survived Boko Haram attack

The 100-day old administration of UK Prime Minister Sunak has continued to acknowledge insecurity in Nigeria especially targeting religious minorities in the wake of the January 19 massacre in Benue State.

Responding to British House of Lord’s member, Lord David Alton, the UK Minister for Africa said the country remains an “advocate for the right to freedom of religion and belief for all.”

Penultimate week the US Congress introduced a resolution seeking to designate Nigeria a Country of Particular Concern for religious persecution following the continuing failure of President Biden’s administration to designate Nigeria as required by the International Religious Freedom Act.

According to international human rights lawyer, Emmanuel Ogebe, “The introduction of this Nigeria CPC bill in the US Congress follows on our successful strategy 10 years ago when we similarly presented a bill to designate Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organization after the refusal of then Secretary Clinton and the Obama administration to do it.

“That forced their hands and it was done shortly after by Secretary Kerry.

“In the current situation, Secretary Blinken has chronically refused on two occasions to do the right thing in a reckless abuse of office and defiance of US law.

“This is but one step we’re exploring to hold Nigeria accountable in spite of the State Department’s cowardice.”

Continuing, Ogebe said in a statement made available to News Express via e-mail: “Incidentally, Prof Solomon Tarfa’s case which presents clearly state persecution in addition to non-state actors like Boko Haram has just been resolved in his favor.

“Tarfa was arrested on Christmas Day 2019 and the children of his Christian orphanage taken away and islamized by the Kano state government at the instance of NAPTIP – a US-funded anti-trafficking agency.

“He was just released by the Court of Appeal which said, ‘I believe that was the evidence that formed the basis on which the charges of abduction and kidnaping against Appellant were dismissed, as the evidence of the Prosecution, rather presented Appellant as a man on the role of honour and fame, instead of infamy, in my opinion’.

“His Lordship G. Mbaba concluded that, ‘I set aside the conviction of the Appellant, and hold that this case was very unfortunate, going by the evidence of PW1, I cannot understand why it was taken out, in the first place, against the Appellant. Appellant is hereby discharged and acquitted of the said charge’.

“I am therefore pleased that the UK is not in perpetual denial like the USA about the insecurity in Nigeria but urge that all hands be on deck to check the situation.

“At the moment a secondary school classmate of mine who is a senior officer in the Civil Defense Corp has been missing for months. In what kind of country can Deputy Commandant Raymond Gaadi of Nigerian Security & Civil Defense Corp disappear for over three months now?

“The newly appointed 2^nd in command of Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Bayelsa State, Gaadi went missing on or about 29^th October, 2022 in Yenegoa, Bayelsa State. The last communication I received from him by text in our William Mukle Bristow Alumni group was October 30 while I was evacuating Nigeria from US terror alert.

“I urge the general public to assist us with information leading to his whereabouts.

“In conclusion, although the US Government has rescinded the evacuation order for diplomats in its Abuja embassy, incidents such as Gaadi’s disappearance highlight the harsh reality for Nigerians.

“I end my comments by disclosing, as I promised last year, yet another name of an American diplomat who survived a Boko Haram attack.

“Ms Jennifer Dunn, the Legal Attaché at the US embassy in Nigeria narrowly survived a suicide bombing in Abuja in 2011.

“Our wishes and prayers go for the safety of all in Nigeria, Turkey and Syria at this time.”

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