The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has dismissed an online video purportedly showing the minister, Geoffrey Onyeama being chased out of a meeting with some members of the Nigerian Community in Vienna, Austria.
The video was circulated on social media few days after members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) attacked a former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, in Germany.
It showed Onyeama being ushered out of the meeting after a visibly aggrieved Nigerian made incoherent declarations against the unity of the country.
The Ministry, in a statement on Friday by its spokesperson, Ferdinand Nwonye, said the incident captured in the video took place three years ago.
It condemned the circulation of the old video by mischief makers and called on the public to disregard the video in it’s entirety.
The statement said, “The facts are that at the end of a very pleasant and informative interactive session, a group of no more than five individuals complained vociferously that they had not been given the opportunity to speak.”
“The Minister in his magnanimity prevailed on the organizers to allow a representative of the group to speak, and the fellow when given the floor unfortunately proceeded to make incoherent declarations against the unity of the Nigeria.”
“The Honourable Minister in his response condemned the glorification of conflict and admonished them that they were too young to appreciate the traumatic horrors of violent conflict as witnessed during the Nigerian Civil War.
“One of the young men took exemption to the Honourable Minister’s peaceful disposition and was getting more agitated and vocal, at which point the Minister was ushered out of the meeting room as the meeting had already ended.”
