The House of Representatives has said it has commenced
investigations into allegations of sexual misconduct against three of its
members by the United States embassy, even as the embassy has already revoked
the US visas of the accused lawmakers.
The US ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, in a June
9, 2016 letter to Speaker Yakubu Dogara, accused three lawmakers of attempted
rape and solicitation for sex, while on a recent trip to Cleveland, Ohio for
the International Visitors Leadership Programme.
The accused lawmakers are Hon. Mohammed Garba Gololo (Bauchi
APC), Hon. Samuel Ikom (Akwa Ibom PDP) and Hon. Mark Gbillah (Benue APC) who
were on the trip with seven other House members.
Gololo allegedly grabbed a housekeeper cleaning his hotel
room and solicited her for sex, while Gbillah and Ikom allegedly asked hotel
parking attendants to help them find prostitutes.
Spokesperson of the House, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas,
acknowledged receipt of the letter from the ambassador to the speaker.
He told THISDAY that “as a responsible parliament” the House
has commenced investigations into the allegations.
“We are doing our investigations… they remain allegations
until proven otherwise. We have our laws and when investigations are conducted,
we will brief you further,” he said.
Namdas however declined to explain what form the
investigations would take and if they were being carried out with the US
Embassy.
“None of them is before any court of law, it is a letter
that alleged the development,” he said.
THISDAY however gathered that the development has thoroughly
embarrassed the House leadership which
nominated the participants for the US government-sponsored programme.
“This is not a good development even if nothing comes out of
the allegations. It may deprive the House members of crucial exposure,” a
lawmaker lamented. Gbillah has however indicated his intention to institute
legal action to clear his name and save his political career.
A copy of his response to the US Ambassador, which he made
available to THISDAY, stated that he would institute legal action in the United
States against the Marriot Hotel brand, the Cleveland Council of World Affairs
and the US State Department requesting damages, a comprehensive investigation
of the allegations to exonerate myself, and a formal globally publicised
apology.
In the letter dated June 16, 2016, he stated: “It has come
to my attention that via correspondence from your good self to His Excellency,
Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (a
copy of which I also received), you made very serious allegations against me
and other members of the House of Representatives group that visited the United
States in April 2016 as part of the International Visitors Leadership Programme
(IVLP).
“In your letter you claimed that I was identified as one of
the members of the aforementioned group who asked for the assistance of a hotel
parking attendant to solicit for prostitutes at the Residence Inn Downtown
Cleveland Ohio.
“I am extremely shocked, upset, irked and embarrassed by
your letter and want to categorically state that these allegations are
completely false, unfounded, malicious and a calculated attempt to malign and
cast aspersion on my reputation and character as a Nigerian citizen and
Honourable Member of the House of Representatives and to bring disrepute to the
hallowed institution of the National Assembly and the entire nation of Nigeria.
“Considering the enormity of these allegations it is
instructive to note the following:
1) The US State
Department and the US Embassy in Nigeria appear to have concluded on the
accuracy of these allegations based on the testimony of the employees of the
hotel without recourse to a response from the accused individuals or a proper
forensic investigation. Paragraph 5 of your letter clearly states that ‘The US
Mission took the pains to confirm these allegations and the identities of the
individuals with the employees of the hotel in Cleveland’. The Embassy claims
the accused individuals were identified by the hotel employees from a
photograph of the group. Is this the manner in which such allegations against
any US citizen (not to mention Members of the US Congress) are investigated and
prosecuted in the United States or does the US State Department and Embassy
have so much disdain towards Nigeria and her citizens that they did not bother
to carry out a proper investigation? For a country that prides itself as the
bastion of Democracy, justice, the rule of law, fair hearing and human rights
it is quite alarming that allegations of this magnitude can be made and
confirmed without allowing the accused individuals to respond.
2) Without
conclusive evidence of any sort or contact with any of the accused individuals
the US State Department and US Embassy in Nigeria have less than six days after
your letter to the Speaker gone ahead to revoke the US visas of accused
individuals based on hearsay from the employees of the hotel in Cleveland.
Affected individuals received correspondence from the US Embassy on Wednesday
15th June 2016 indicating the denial of their US visas and requesting that they
bring their international passports with current US visas to the Embassy.
3) The accused
individuals were not accosted with these allegations while in the US so they
could immediately defend themselves, the hotel employees conveniently refrained
from making these allegations while the members of the group were in the United
States and curiously decided to do so after our departure. What is the reason
behind their not reporting these incidents immediately they occurred and why
are we only being informed about these allegations two months after our return
from the US?
4) None of the
members of the group was driving a vehicle while at the hotel and would
therefore have had no cause to interact with the car park attendants as the
Residence Inn car park is not in front of the hotel but somewhere behind and
some distance away from the hotel. You will have to go out of your way to go to
the car park so video footage should clearly indicate whether or not any member
of the group interacted with a hotel car park attendant.
5) Other groups comprising
African Americans and other ‘people of colour’ were also occupying the
Residence Inn while this group of House of Representatives members was visiting
Cleveland because of the scheduled basketball game between the Cleveland
Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks at the Quicken Loans Arena which is just across
the road from the hotel. What is the certainty of the ability of the probably
caucasian hotel car park attendants to accurately identify the specific members
of any of the groups at the hotel as being responsible for the purported
infractions?
6) The US border
agency has it on record that I came into the US with my wife and baby on this
trip and although the organisers did not allow them to stay with me in the
hotel I was always communicating with my wife on facetime whenever I returned
to the hotel. I stayed indoors on the days we had a break from our usually
hectic schedule and only had cause to go to the grocery store to pick up items
for my room. I wonder when it was I found the time to solicit for prostitutes
from a hotel parking attendant and how I intended to bring a prostitute to my
room when I had a regular facetime schedule with my wife which we never
concluded until I was ready to turn in. This can very easily be verified from
my log in activity on the hotels Wi-Fi service.
7) I have visited
the US and several countries in the world countless times over the last several
years and have stayed at countless hotels all over the world and want to dare
the US government to find any instance where I have previously solicited for
prostitutes from a hotel employee even when I was not a married man. I am a
Hilton HHonors Diamond Member with over 1,500,000 reward points, an
Intercontinental Ambassador Platinum Elite Member, a Ritz Carlton Rewards Silver
member, a Marriott Rewards Member, a Starwood Preferred Guest Member and a
Fairmont Presidents Club Member.
I am a member of two of the rewards programs of the parent
hotel brand of the Residence Inn (Marriott Rewards and Ritz Carlton Rewards)
and the record of my previous lodgings at all the hotel brands can be obtained
to ascertain whether or not I have ever solicited for prostitutes from any
hotel employee. Although it is very easy to obtain the previous travel history
and track record of accused members, it is obvious the US State Department and
the US Embassy have presumed our guilt without proper investigation because of
the disdain and disrespect they have towards the average Nigerian citizen even
when such citizens are Members of the Nigerian House of Representatives, a
treatment they will never mete out to an ordinary American citizen who is not
even a member of the US Congress.
8) It is noteworthy
that a member of our group made a formal complaint to the organisers of the
programme about his being defrauded to the tune of about $100 at the
Renaissance Hotel Dupont Circle Washington DC but neither the US State
Department nor the US Embassy in Nigeria has deemed it fit to take any action
or initiate any investigation in this regard. Members of the group also
expressed their dissatisfaction, displeasure and disappointment with the
organisers of the programme over their inability to organise a single meeting
with any member of the US congress and constraining members to meet with only
one State Representative and several County Representatives and officials
contrary to the initial objectives of the programme. Perhaps there are other
underlying reasons behind the lacklustre attitude of the US State Department
and the US Embassy towards ensuring proper investigation of these allegations.
“Your Excellency, this unfortunate and malicious situation
has further been exacerbated by the fact that your Embassy by omission or
commission has allowed your correspondence to the Speaker to fall into the
hands of the print media in Lagos without fair hearing or upholding the rights
of the concerned individuals; an employee of one of the national dailies
intimated me about this and their desire to publish the story.
“This story was indeed published in the New Telegraph of
Thursday, 16th June, 2016 alleging that related Members of the House of
Representatives were involved in a sex scandal.
“You can imagine the incalculable damage to my reputation
and image with the publication of these spurious allegations especially when I
unequivocally know that I am completely innocent.
“It is also unfortunate that at a meeting with your Deputy
Chief of Mission in Abuja the attempt by members of the group to express their
exception to and displeasure with these allegations, the lack of proper
investigation and the tainting of the image of the entire group was considered
to be a very negative reaction by your Chief of Mission and your good self.
“I suppose the US Embassy expected renowned personalities in
Nigeria like Members of the House of Representatives to accept complicity in
such malicious and spurious allegations without proper investigation or
evidence or any opportunity to defend themselves.
“Considering the psychological trauma, irredeemable
defamation of my character and reputation before my spouse, children, family,
colleagues, leadership, constituents and the general Nigerian and global public
and the incalculable damage to my political career, I intend to take the
following actions:
1) Institute legal
action in the United States against the Marriot Hotel Brand, the Cleveland
Council of World Affairs and the US State Department requesting for damages,
comprehensive investigation of these allegations to exonerate myself and a
formal globally publicised apology.
2) Institute legal
action in Nigeria against the US Embassy in Nigeria also requesting for
damages, comprehensive investigation of these allegations and a formal globally
publicised apology.
3) Demand that the
US Embassy and the US State Department (regardless of your revocation of my US
visa) allow me to travel to Cleveland even at my own expense to confront my
accuser and confirm my innocence. I otherwise have no desire to travel to a
country that appears to pay only lip service to the ideals they claim to uphold.
4) Demand for the
full video/cctv footage covering the period of our entire stay at the hotel;
this should clearly show the movements and activities of every member of the
group throughout the hotel.
“It is unfortunate that I have to write to your good self
under these circumstances but I believe you will use your good office to
redress this very grave injustice and redeem the image of your country.”
Another House member, who was accused of asking the hotel
parting attendant to find him a prostitute, Ikom, also refuted the allegation,
adding that he would take steps to clear his name.
In a statement
yesterday, he said: “I wish to state unequivocally that this is false and
definitely not me. This to me is a case of mistaken identity and I have already
instituted measures both legally and diplomatically to clear my name and the
institution I represent. I call for patience and God’s abiding wisdom at this
time.”
Entwistle’s strongly worded letter to Dogara, read in part:
“The US Mission took pains to confirm these allegations and the identities of
the individuals with the employees of the hotel in Cleveland.
“The conduct described above left a very negative impression
of Nigeria, casting a shadow on Nigeria’s National Assembly, the International
Visitor Leadership Programme, and to the American hosts’ impression of Nigeria
as a whole.
“Such conduct could affect some participants’ ability to
travel to the United States in the future.
“While the majority of Nigerian visitors to the United
States do behave appropriately, even a few Nigerians demonstrating poor
judgement leads to a poor impression of the Nigerian people generally, though
it is far from accurate.
“Such incidents jeopardise the ability of future programming
and make host institutions and organisations less likely to welcome similar
visits in the future.
“In addition, most of the members of this group reacted very
negatively to my deputy when she brought this matter to their attention,
further calling into question their judgement and commitment to the goals of
the International Visitor Leadership Programme.
“This leads us to question whether to include National
Assembly members for other similar programmes in the future.
“I request, in the strongest possible terms, you share this
message with members of the National Assembly so they understand the
seriousness of these issues, and the potential consequences of their actions,
not only for themselves as individuals, but also for the future of such programmes
designed to benefit Nigeria.”
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