SERAP ASKS TINUBU TO PREVENT CLOSURE OF 34 EMBASSIES OVER RENT DISPUTE
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Agency report
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to swiftly intervene and prevent the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, from closing 34 foreign embassies in Abuja due to unpaid ground rents.
In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, the rights group cautioned that proceeding with such closures would breach international law and undermine established diplomatic protocols.
“President Tinubu should urgently caution and direct the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, to immediately withdraw the threat to close down 34 embassies in Abuja,” SERAP stated.
The group cited Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which guarantees the inviolability of diplomatic missions.
According to SERAP, any attempt to forcibly shut down or repossess embassy properties would be illegal under international law.
“Article 22, paragraph 1, of the Vienna Convention states that ‘[t]he premises of the mission shall be inviolable,’” the group noted, adding that “Paragraph 3 further affirms that ‘the premises of the mission, their furnishings and other property thereon and the means of transport of the mission shall be immune from search, requisition, attachment or execution.’”
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