…Embassy Burgled
A diplomatic row is in the offing between Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo following an alleged harassment of Nigerian diplomats in Kinshasa, the capital of DR Congo.
According to reports, the row stemmed from the burgling of a Nigerian Embassy located in Kinshasa by some Congolese police officials, and the illegal seizure of a property owned by the Nigerian Mission.
This is coming few weeks after a Nigerian diplomat was also manhandled and harassed by some immigration officials in Jakarta, Indonesian capital.
Meanwhile, a source in the Nigerian mission in DR Congo reportedly disclosed that the burgling of the Embassy and the illegal seizure of the Nigerian diplomatic property was perpetrated by officials of DR Congo, adding that their government has failed to bring the culprit to book.
The source quoted by Leadership also said sometimes in March 2020, there was a similar situation where there was an alleged attempt to set ablaze an Ambassador’s residence in the middle of the night. According to the source, the culprit was caught and arrested by the Congolese police, but was later freed.
The source also confirmed that there have been several assaults on some Nigerians in Congo, saying that the Congolese government has been allegedly shielding the culprits from facing the wrath of the law.
“In March 2020, there was an attempt to set the Ambassador’s residence ablaze in the middle of the night. The culprit was apprehended and handed over to the police, but to date nothing has come out from the police concerning the young man that was arrested or the event.
“On 17th August 2020, the Embassy was burgled by one Ilunga Ndaye, the policeman deployed to guard the Chancery. The culprit was apprehended and handed over to the police. On arrival at the police station, he was freed by the police. The authorities claimed that he escaped and till date, nothing has been said about him or the incident,” the source said.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was yet to react to the development as of press time, as attempts to reach the ministry proved abortive.
