Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The High Commission of Nigeria in Ghana was neither evicted from its chancery nor its residence, says Ferdinand Nwonye, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Nwonye disclosed that the property sited on 10, Barnes Road, Accra, Ghana, is one of the official quarters of the High Commission.
Nwonye told Daily Sun that the lease agreement signed between the Nigerian Ministry of Finance and the Ghana expired in August, 2019. He said that the Ghanaian government ought to have informed the Nigeria of the expiration of the lease, but instead decided to lay claim to the property.
“We are working on it; there is no cause for alarm. It is not our chancery, not our residence, it is just one of our official quarters and have been unoccupied for sometime. Though we have some items inside it, no one is occupying it,” Nwonye said.
Nigerian High Commission in Ghana, was alleged to have been forcefully evicted from its diplomatic property in Accra and re-allocated to Amaco Microfinance in August 26, 2019 by Ghana’s Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources with the consent of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.
Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Michael Abikoye, confirmed receiving a terse letter dated December 27, 2019 from solicitors acting on behalf of Amaco Microfinance Company Limited, Accra, directing the high commission to vacate the property.
“As at December 31, 2019 the property has been broken into by the company and is being ransacked with the likelihood of being effectively occupied,”Abikoye said.