Nigerian Diplomats Suffer Backlash As Top Foreign Affairs Ministry Officials Allegedly Engage In Visa Racketeering

This is not the best of times for Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs but everything is being done to mask the problems.

On May 11, the ministry tweeted about a meeting between Gabriel Aduda, Permanent Secretary, and a delegation from the United States’ Embassy led by the country’s ambassador to Nigeria, H.E. Mary Beth Leonard.

The tweet disclosed that the two parties “discussed and attained common ground on a number of visa-related issues, including reciprocity and strengthening due diligence mechanism for the seamless issuance of visas to government officials…”

But what it did not reveal is that the meeting had to do with a petition written by Ambassador Lilian Onoh, Nigeria’s former Head of Mission to Namibia, which alleged that a senior Nigerian diplomat, Ambassador Janet Olisah, had engaged in visa racketeering and human trafficking when she was the country’s ambassador to Jamaica.

 A copy of Onoh’s petition dated April 18, was sent to the United States’ Embassy Abuja, the Chief of Staff to the President, Inspector General of Police, High Commission of Canada  Abuja and High Commission of Jamaica.

The petition, addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama and Aduda, alleged that “Ambassador Janet Olisa, D.(PRS), engaged in an elaborate human trafficking and visa racketeering scheme in Jamaica against the USA, Jamaica, Belize, Dominican Republic, Haiti and the other 34 Caribbean islands under the High Commission in Jamaica during her tenure as High Commissioner V Jamaica (2017 -2020).”

Sources in the ministry informed THE WHISTLER that the US, Canada and other foreign embassies in Nigeria are worried about the allegations, especially the use of the note verbale( communication between diplomats of one country to another) for visa racketeering.

A source said, “The ministry met with American Embassy because of the visa racket of Ambassador Jane Olisah. It is a very serious matter because it’s affecting our diplomats.

“This is part of the corruption, and since Ambassador Janet Olisah did visa racket against the US when she was in Jamaica, the situation is serious. They sacked two junior staff to protect her.”

The alleged sacking of the two unnamed junior staff of the ministry to protect Olisah was what pushed Ambassador Onoh into initially speaking out, and later writing the petition.

She accused Onyeama  and  Aduda of shielding Olisah from prosecution and using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) to intimidate ministry officials with information on her crimes.”

“But since July 2021, when I first protested the fact that you, Gabriel Aduda and Musa Mamman (Director Administration.) presided over the unlawful dismissal of two junior officers that worked in Jamaica in order to protect Janet Olisa’s Visa Racketeering and Human Trafficking in Jamaica, I have been hounded by EFCC operatives by phone and lately, in writing.

“In fact, you and Aduda and Janet Olisa went so far to submit an instruction to the EFCC in July 2021 to arrest me at the Airport but unfortunately for you all, I left the country before your illegal request could be carried out,” she stated in the petition.

This is not the first time corruption in the ministry would be exposed. In May last year, workers of the ministry under the aegis of the Joint Negotiating Council had asked Aduda to account for N4.7billion out of the N5.2 billion given to the ministry for staff posting between 2019-2021.

The workers threatened to embark on strike action after accusing Aduda and the ministry of squandering funds for staff posting. The allegations were contained in a communiqué signed by the JNC Chairman, Ali Saidu and the Secretary-General, Charles Chimaroke.

Before the workers’ protest, the House of Representatives had announced it was probing allegations of visa racketeering and fraud in diplomatic postings in March 2021. Chairman of the House’ Committee on Foreign Affairs, Rep. Yusuf Buba, had called for evidence from the public to enable the committee to carry out an extensive investigation into alleged malpractices in the ministry.

But nothing has been heard again about the investigation since then.

THE WHISTLER called Buba several times on Wednesday and Thursday but he did not pick up his calls and never called back. A text message sent to him was also not replied to.

Attempts to speak with Aduda were also unsuccessful. He didn’t pick up his calls and didn’t reply a text message sent to him.

But the minister of foreign affairs, who was in Spain when THE WHISTLER called him on Thursday, replied a WhatsApp message sent to him. He said the allegations made by Onoh were still being investigated by the EFCC and it was the reason the agency may have invited some persons.

The minister’s message read: “The Olisa case is still being investigated by the EFCC and she still reports to the EFCC office weekly.

“The sacking of the junior staff was effected by the statutory body responsible for appointments, promotion and discipline the FCSC.”