A former aide to the president and legal expert, Obol Okoi Obono-Obla, has spoken against a protest in Ghana where some people said Nigerians are criminals.

Speaking to DAILY POST in Calabar on Wednesday, Obono-Obla said it’s wrong and defamatory to label an entire group of people as criminals without any legal judgment.

He explained that only a court has the right to call someone a criminal, and saying all Nigerians are criminals is a serious false accusation.

Obono-Obla warned that if the Ghanaian government listens to such protesters, it could harm the good relationship between Nigeria and Ghana. He also said it would go against ECOWAS rules that allow people from member countries to move freely.

He added that calling all Nigerians criminals is not only unfair but also has no proof.

Obono-Obla pointed out that in law, there’s no such thing as blaming everyone for one person’s crime. This legal rule applies worldwide.

He said both Nigeria and Ghana are part of ECOWAS, a regional group that allows free movement of people and goods between countries.

This is why many Nigerians live in Ghana and many Ghanaians live in Nigeria. They don’t need visas to travel within ECOWAS countries.

He ended by saying it’s wrong to say all Nigerians in Ghana are involved in crimes just because a few may have done something wrong.