There was
disturbance at the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington D.C. United States last
Monday after two officials of the embassy began fighting.
The
officials, according to Per Second News, are Mr. Robert Mumford Ditto, a
Filipino and one Saka Ologele from Nigeria. Apparently left fuming after an
argument, Ditto, angrily threw a chair at Ologele.
Some
officials of the embassy tried to engage with the men but the situation then
escalated into a physical fight, in the full glare of dozens of guests and visa
applicants.
Ditto called
in agents from the Washington Capitol Secret Service Police to deal with the
commotion, there after several people became angry at his utterances.
No fewer
than five police officers arrived and made their way into the embassy to
restore order and calm panicky guests and visa applicants.
It took the
timely intervention of acting Ambassador, Mr. Hakeem Balogun, to prevent the
secret service agents from arresting the officials.
The acting
ambassador has suspended the duo indefinitely, it was learnt yesterday morning.
Police
confirmed the altercation inside the embassy but did not report any arrest.
Commenting
on the incident, a band of Nigerian workers complained about the utterances of
Filipino citizens working at the embassy.
Workers
alleged that they have been arbitrary and overboard.
Investigations
also revealed that in the Defence Attache section of the embassy, Nigerian
diplomats have in most times preferred Filipinos to assist in the work there.
From local
office assistants to drivers, the department in charge of intelligence uses
foreigners, especially the Filipinos, workers alleged.
It was also
gathered that the Deputy Defence Attache has a Filipino secretary in this days
where the line between diplomat, embassy workers and spy is sometimes blurred.
“You will
never see a foreigner at Chinese, Indian, Russian, even at the Ghana embassy at
strategic positions,” said a visa applicant.
Approaching
foreign nationals and asking them to work for your government is generally
agreed to lie in the realm of espionage.
Some in
Washington have questioned the employment of Filipinos working at sensitive
positions inside the embassy.
Reports in
the past revealed that some foreign workers in some embassies have been caught
surreptitiously seeking to discover passwords, details of private and official
email, tracking movements and mobile phone accounts of foreign officials.
This is an
everyday activity that lies deep within the field of espionage, said a diplomat.
“Drivers
deployed to diplomats drive with their ears cocked for interesting
intelligence.
“There is a
degree of overlap. Diplomats, spies and journalists are all basically nosy
people. They all want to find out things that are not generally known,” said a
Nigerian diplomat asked about the Filipinos at the embassy of Nigeria.
0 Comments