Nigerian ambassador to Congo not ejected, embassy not shut – Official

Muhammadu Buhari

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has debunked reports of Nigeria’s embassy in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, being shut.

A video of the embassy being allegedly shut and properties being thrown out of the building had gone viral on Friday.

[ads]

However, the foreign ministry’s spokesperson, Ferdinard Nwonye, told the News Agency of Nigeria that the Nigerian ambassador to Congo, Ibim Charles, and other diplomats were not ejected as suggested in the video.

“The Nigerian Embassy in Democratic Republic of Congo was not shut down. There was a dispute on one of the properties of the mission where officials were residing.

“When we reported the matter to the Congolese government, the country’s authorities intervened immediately and the property was handed back to the Nigerian mission,” Mr Nwonye said.

He added: “The mission bought the property but is still in the process of updating the documents, which are still under Zaire, former name of the country.

[ads]

“The Head of Mission has written to the Permanent Secretary and we are on top of the situation. I can also confirm that activities were not disrupted in our embassy in Congo.”