Russian Embassy reacts to Edo protest claims, calls for stronger legal cooperation

By Favour Ulebor, Abuja

The Russian Embassy in Nigeria has reacted to claims linking a Nigerian citizen resident in Russia to the alleged funding of student protests in Edo State, calling for stronger legal cooperation between both countries to address any unlawful activities.

In a press statement issued on Wednesday, the embassy referred to comments made on January 13 by Mr Patrick Ebojele, Press Secretary to Edo State Governor, Mr Monday Okpebholo, regarding student protests in Ekpoma and the alleged involvement of a Nigerian based in Russia.

The embassy noted that two draft bilateral agreements currently under consideration by the Nigerian government could provide a framework for jointly investigating such allegations.

The agreements include the Agreement on Cooperation between the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation and the Federal Ministry of Justice of Nigeria, as well as the Agreement on Cooperation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Interior of Nigeria.

According to the embassy, the signing of these agreements would enable effective cooperation with Russian law enforcement agencies in investigating any unlawful actions involving Nigerian citizens.

It also recalled that an Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, signed between Russia and Nigeria in 2018, has yet to enter into force due to the absence of ratification by the Nigerian government.

The Russian Embassy expressed hope that work on the outstanding agreements would be expedited to strengthen collaboration between relevant agencies in both countries, particularly in preventing criminal and unlawful activities.

The statement read in part:

“In this regard, we draw attention to the fact that drafts of two Russian–Nigerian agreements are currently under consideration by the Nigerian side, the signing of which would help investigate any unlawful activities of Nigerian citizens in cooperation with Russian law enforcement agencies.

“These are the Agreement on Cooperation between the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation and the Federal Ministry of Justice of Nigeria, and the Agreement on Cooperation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Interior of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“In addition, it should be noted that in 2018, the Agreement between the Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Nigeria on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters was signed but did not enter into force due to the Nigerian side’s failure to ratify it.

“We hope that work on these documents will proceed at a faster pace so that closer ties can be established between the designated agencies of Russia and Nigeria to prevent unlawful and criminal activities.”

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