A Nigerian lawmaker is accusing the U.S. Embassy of defamation following its complaint that he and another colleague tried to hire sex workers while on a State Department exchange program in Ohio.
Mark Gbillah said Friday the allegation was a baseless attempt to tarnish the reputation of Nigeria’s House of Representatives.
Turaki Hassan, spokesman for House Speaker Yakubu Dogara, confirmed that the U.S. Embassy this month submitted complaints about the behavior of Gbillah and two colleagues, Samuel Ikon and Mohammed Garba Gololo.
Gololo was accused of making inappropriate advances toward a hotel employee. In a written response, he said he “never grabbed any housekeeper or solicited sex.”
A U.S. Embassy spokesman said Friday he would not comment “on private diplomatic correspondence.”