By Pascal Ibe
Claim
@SavvyRinu on the X platform claimed that the Nigerian Security Chiefs organized a press conference to announce that Canada denied them visas.
Verdict
The claim is MISLEADING. The Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Christopher Musa, announced the Canada Visa denial at an event, THE ANNUAL LECTURE OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SECURITY STUDIES, and NOT at a press conference as claimed.
Full Text
An X user, @SavvyRinu has claimed that the Nigerian Security Chiefs organized a press conference to announce that Canada denied them visas.
In his words, “Those military chiefs did a whole press conference to announce Canada denied them a visa.
“That must hurt a lot.
The post garnered over 103k views and more than 4k likes, according to X analytics.
Background
On Thursday, Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser, strongly criticized the Canadian Government for denying visas to Christopher Musa, Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), and other senior Military officers.
Ribadu described the decision as “disrespectful”, adding, “Canada “can go to hell.”
Verification
According to reports and video evidence available, speaking at the maiden annual lecture of the National Association of the Institute for Security Studies in Abuja on Thursday, Gen Musa said how he and his colleagues were blocked from attending an event in Canada meant to honour war veterans.
“We were invited along with our team, but while half of us got visas, the other half was denied. It’s very disappointing,” he added.
He termed the incident a “wake-up call” for Nigeria to strengthen its sovereignty and “refuse to be taken for granted”.
Watch video here
The National Institute for Security Studies (NISS), Abuja is the foremost security training institute in Nigeria.
Conclusion
The Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa announced the Canada Visa denial at the annual lecture of the National Institute of Security Studies organized by the alumini association and NOT at a press conference.
