The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called on President Bola Tinubu to immediately intervene and restrain the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, from carrying out threats to shut down 34 foreign embassies in Abuja over unpaid ground rents.
In a statement posted Monday on X (formerly Twitter), the rights advocacy group warned that any attempt to forcibly close diplomatic missions would contravene international law and violate diplomatic norms enshrined in global treaties.
“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 organization referenced Article 22 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, which guarantees the inviolability of diplomatic premises, emphasizing that diplomatic properties cannot be entered, searched, or repossessed by host countries.
“Article 22, paragraph 1, of the Vienna Convention states that ‘[t]he premises of the mission shall be inviolable,’” SERAP noted. “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.’”
SERAP warned that Wike’s threat could damage Nigeria’s diplomatic reputation and urged the Tinubu administration to explore lawful and diplomatic means to address the issue of outstanding ground rents without violating international commitments.
