A pro-democracy group, Concerned Nigerians, has lauded the decision of the United States government to impose visa restrictions on Nigerians who it believes have undermined Nigeria’s democracy and the 2019 electoral process.
In a statement issued on Wednesday the group said that for far too long, politicians have acted with impunity in a manner that has subverted the will of the Nigerian people, undermined the rule of law, and caused substantial loss of life and property of ordinary Nigerians.
“It is very comforting that the Nigerian people are finally seeing some sort of consequence being meted out to these class of politicians who are determined to destroy the very fiber of our society,” the group noted in a statement signed by its convener, Deji Adeyanju and secretary Hauwa Abdulsalam.
The group appealed to the United States Government to extend the visa ban to officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigerian Police Force who allowed the apparatus of the Nigeria state be used as tools of oppression against the people.
It also encouraged the U.S government to consider the seizure of assets and foreclosure of business interests of Nigerians who actively undermine the nation’s constitutional democratic process.
Earlier in January the U.S and UK governments had vowed to consider consequence, including visa restrictions, for individuals responsible for undermining the Nigerian democratic process or for organizing election-related violence.
A joint mission of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI), which is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), reported that there were concerns expressed by reputable citizen observer groups about serious irregularities and violence at collation centers in many parts of the country during the elections.
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