Nigerian human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, has called for more visa bans on Nigerian public officials. He believes these restrictions are a stronger punishment than other sanctions.

Effiong made this statement on Friday while supporting Canada’s reported decision to deny visas to Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, and other senior military officers.

According to Effiong, these visa restrictions help hold officials accountable, especially those involved in corruption and human rights violations.

He criticized Nigerian leaders for enjoying good governance abroad while failing to improve conditions at home.

“Nothing hurts them more than denying them entry into countries where sanity prevails,” Effiong stated.

He urged more Western and European countries to follow Canada’s example by imposing similar travel bans. He believes this would pressure Nigerian officials to improve governance and accountability.

This debate comes after Canada reportedly refused visas to some Nigerian military officers invited to an event honoring war veterans.

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, condemned the decision, while General Musa revealed that only half of the invited officials were allowed entry.

“Yesterday, I was meant to be in Canada for an event to honour our veterans, those injured in battle.

“We were invited with our team, but half were denied visas. It’s very disappointing,” Musa said.

Meanwhile, the Canadian High Commission in Nigeria stated that it could not comment on the status of individual visa applications for privacy reasons.

“The High Commission of Canada in Nigeria is aware of media reports related to planned travel to Canada by senior officials.

“However, for privacy reasons, we are unable to provide any comment on the status of visa applications of specific individuals,” the Commission posted in a statement seen by SaharaReporters.

What do you think about Canada’s decision? Should more countries introduce similar bans?