Date Published: 05/07/10

Leadership U.S Correspondent Manhandled By Nigerian Mission Officials

...Barred From Covering Ban Ki-moon‘s Condolence Visit

The United States Correspondent of Leadership Newspaper Group, Aare Abiodun Oluwarotimi was on Thursday evening manhandled at the Nigeria House by some Senior Staffs and Security Personnel of the Nigerian Mission to the United Nations in New York when he went to cover the Official Condolence Visit of Mr. Ban Ki-moon, the Secretary-General of the World body over the death of the former President of the Country Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar‘adua.

Mr. Oluwarotimi, a Foreign Correspondent of the United Nations in New York, on his arrival to the Nigerian Diplomatic Mission on the Second Avenue in New York City, was prevented from entering into the Premises by the Security Operatives at the instance of the Mission‘s authority.

One of the Security Personnel told the Leadership Correspondent that a standing order has been given by the authority of the Nigerian Mission to always disallow him from gaining an entrance anytime he comes there to gather News.

The treatment meted on Oluwarotimi by the Senior Staff of the Mission is not unconnected with his (Oluwarotimi) on-going investigation on the allegation of fraud made against the authority of the Nigerian Mission by the Nigerian Coalition Against Corruption in Diaspora in a petition that the anti-corruption group sent to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Security Council, Foreign Affairs Committees of both Chambers of the National Assembly in Nigeria on the 29th of March, 2010.

On discovering that he would not be allowed to cover the Condolence Visit of  Mr. Ban Ki-moon at the Mission, our Correspondent who got to the Nigeria House in company of Kemi Fadojutimi the Publisher of All Eyes on Africa Magazine at about 3pm on Thursday struggled with the Security Officers in order to gain entrance but was rough-handled and forced out.

In his spirited efforts to cover the important event, Mr. Oluwarotimi prevailed over the Security personnel and gained his entrance into the 18th Floor of the Diplomatic Mission where the event was to take place.

But in a display of supremacy, the Head of Chancery of the Nigerian Mission to the United Nations Mr. Lot P. Egopija in company of three other Senior Staffs of the Mission bumped into the 18th Floor where our Correspondent was seated and drove him out, saying that he would not be allowed to cover any event within the Nigeria House again.

Mr. Oluwarotimi and Kemi Fadojutimi were put on the lift that took them to the basement in company of fully-armed security guards and the Head of Chancery who personally supervised their exit.

“Why are you people preventing me from doing my legitimate work in the Mission? What do you expect me to tell my Employers in Abuja if i do not file this very important story. Why did you prevent me from covering the Secretary-Generals condolence visit while you left other Journalists like the U.S. Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria behind to attend and cover the event”  Mr. Oluwarotimi asked.

The Head of Chancery Mr. Lot P. Egopija and one other staff of the Mission quickly inform  one of the Security Details to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who immediately wrote down all the United Nations accreditation details of Mr. Oluwarotimi who also happens to be a Foreign Correspondent of the world body.

Shortly after this, the UN Secretary-General arrived for the event and all efforts made by our Correspondent the third time were truncated by the Head of Chancery who personally blocked the entrance.

”Biodun, we will not allow you to cover this event and if you like, you can put it in your Newspaper tomorrow for all we care. We will ensure that the United Nations delist you from their Foreign Correspondents‘list.” Another Staff of the Nigerian Mission threatened.”

The Nigerian Mission‘s Security men who have been preventing Mr. Oluwarotimi Abiodun from entering into Nigeria House to gather News since three weeks ago have always been telling him that the order to prevent him is from the authority of the Mission who believes that he is always having access to their classified information.