House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs says Ghana must face the consequences of its actions and inactions as a bulldozer invaded and demolished a staff quarters at the Nigerian High Commission in Accra on Friday night.
In a statement by its chairman, Rep. Yusuf Buba on Monday, the committee frowned at the act, saying it infringed the international rights of Nigeria. He described the act as an invasion of Nigerian’s sovereignty and an external aggression on the Nigerian state. He said it was a gross violation of all known conventions and treaties on diplomatic relations and friendship between both countries.
Buba said a high-capacity bulldozer was deployed by some unnamed Ghanaian nationals to invade the diplomatic premises of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Accra, Ghana. According to him, a witness narrated how a heavy-duty bulldozer had arrived at the diplomatic premises at late hours of the night and broken through the gate.
Narrating the witness’s account, the committee chair said the bulldozer demolished four units of the nearly-completed four-bedroom block of flats, noting that the buildings were awaiting the occupation by some members of the Nigeria Diplomatic Mission in Accra in the mission premises.
“While the demolition lasted, several frantic efforts were said to have been made by members of the Nigeria Mission to report what was ongoing to both the Ghana Police Service and their Foreign Affairs Ministry. In spite of those efforts, no reprieve, we were told, came the way of the Nigerian diplomats. We further learnt that, even when the Police finally arrived the scene, they could not do anything,’’ he said.
Buba said that that the present Nigeria mission in Accra, constituted a four hectares of land that was officially allocated to Nigeria as part of the agreement to situate the mission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Ghana, just as he condemned the act of trespass committed, saying it breached the Vienna Convention and bears the capacity to cause a diplomatic row and escalate tension between our country and Ghana.
“Nigeria possessed all necessary legal titles and certifications, including site plan, payment receipts and allocation papers from the Ghanaian authorities in respect of the land. The action, and indeed, inaction which makes the authorities complicit in the act, the Ghanaian people violated many an article in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1949 and, therefore, must be sanctioned.
As a parliament, we stand resolute to do everything within our powers to review, re-appraise and re-examine the relationship of the Federal Republic of Nigeria with the Republic of Ghana. We shall deploy all legislative means within our disposal, including exploring and invoking all necessary rules, regulations and instruments that guide our common membership in other parliaments, to compel the Republic of Ghana to answer for this act of gross violation and abuse of the immunities of the Nigeria mission and its staff,’’ Buba said.
According to him, Nigeria cannot let this one pass silently in the name of diplomacy from a big-brother nation as in the past. He said that Nigeria’s High Commissioner must be recalled by the Executive arm of the government for consultation, while urging President Muhammadu Buhari to invite the Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria to provide answers to questions
