A Northern group, Arewa Think Tank (ATT) on Friday, February 14, alleged that Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa was denied Canadian Visa due to actions of fifth columnists.
The group said that the unnamed individuals within the corridor of power intend to use the situation to embarrass the administration of President Bola Tinubu on the international scene.
Muhammad Yakubu, the chief convener of the ATT in a statement said the group had earlier warned the president to be wary of some fifth columnists operating within his administration.
Citing some instances, Yakubu said these individuals had been hard on the president over his trip to Saudi Arabia, which they claimed was a jamboree and was of no benefit to Nigeria and her people.
He said, “We therefore request the Presidency to embark on an investigation into the civil service framework to eliminate individuals referred to as “moles” who are loyal to opposition parties in the country.
“This fifth columnist is within Nigeria, so Tinubu should probe deeper to ensure that the fifth columnists do not embarrass his government at any of the international visits again,” Yakubu said.
Also describing the incident as embarrassing, the ATT commended the CDS for his leadership in fighting terrorism and all forms of criminality across the country.
Yakubu added, “We want to believe that the visa denial may have exposed Canada’s stance on Nigerian military officials and its wider diplomatic relationship with Nigeria because the specific reasons for the refusal of Visa remain not too clear for now.
“The Canada Visa denial incident has highlighted the bureaucratic and political hurdles Nigerian officials face in international engagements most of the time. Therefore, we say enough is enough in this regard,” he noted.
