Nigeria's new President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, inspects honour guards after taking an oath of office at a ceremony in Abuja Nigeria, Monday May 29, 2023. A year after arguing Nigeria's ruling party is responsible for terrorist acts, the Trudeau government has sent a cabinet minister to celebrate its presidential visit THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Olamikan Gbemiga
OTTAWA – The federal government has sent a cabinet minister to celebrate the inauguration of Nigeria’s new president, months after claiming the governing party is responsible for terrorist acts.
Diversity and Inclusion Minister Ahmed Hussen went to Nigeria to attend the inauguration of President Bola Tinubu, whose All-Progressive Congress Party has ruled Nigeria since 2015.
Yet in Immigration and Refugee Board filings, Canada has argued that the party is “responsible for numerous acts of terrorism.”
That phrasing appears in a December immigration decision in which the adjudicator rejected Ottawa’s attempt to deport an unnamed man, saying the government hadn’t proved terrorism allegations about the Nigerian party.
Ebenezer Obadare, a fellow with the Council on Foreign Relations, says the party has likely not done enough to address terrorism, but there is no evidence that the party is actually responsible for terrorist acts.
Global Affairs Canada and Nigeria’s high commission in Ottawa did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2023.
