US activist abused for wearing Leah Sharibu T-shirt tagged ‘against Nigeria’
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
A Nigerian American has demanded both an explanation and an apology from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) whose officials abused and humiliated him for wearing a “Free Leah Sharibu” T-shirt to an event at which President Muhammadu Buhari spoke at the USIP in Washington on 16 December 2022.
Uzochukwu Nwokwu, a lawyer, recounted in a petition to the USIP how he was abused, embarrassed, humiliated, physically assaulted, and denied access to the event to which he was duly invited and cleared.
The petition is address to Johnnie Carson, former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, now a Senior Advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group and USIP.
A copy was sent to TheNiche by Nwokwu’s colleague Emmanuel Ogebe from Washington where he is Managing Partner at US Nigeria Law Group (USNLG).
The petition is reproduced below:
Invitation to Buhari event at USIP
Dear Ambassador Carson,
Good day Sir,
I write to bring your attention to the unsavory encounter which I had with your security and officials on December 16, 2022 at USIP premises during the “A Conversation with Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari. Reflections on the state of Democracy in Nigeria” event which you moderated.
At that occasion, USIP security and officials thoroughly embarrassed, humiliated, physically assaulted, manhandled and finally prevented me from participating in the event, notwithstanding that I was duly invited by the USIP and cleared your security screening. My offence? – allegedly wearing a “FREE LEAH” T-Shirt, which your officials adjudged “anti-Nigeria”.
My name is Uzochukwu Nwokwu. I am a US citizen resident in Washington DC and supposedly a friend of USIP. I am also an E.H.L.S Georgetown University scholar, 2012.
E.H.L.S as you may well know is funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), and administered by the Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO), an affiliate of the Department of Defense.
I am subscribed to USIP’s emailing list and have participated in several of your programs in the past. Over a decade ago for instance, I attended the CSIS event where as Assistant Secretary of State for Africa, you gave a policy speech on Nigeria.
Needless to say, in addition to my background as a lawyer admitted to the Nigerian bar almost 20 years ago, I have held several levels of Security Clearance in the past and constitute no threat or danger to anyone or group in the United States or anywhere else for that matter.
What is about Leah Sharibu that is against Nigeria?
Upon arriving at USIP for the said event on 12/16/22, I had promptly cleared your security screening and was about to go into the venue when suddenly a call came in and one of your Security Guards after taking that call, asked me to step aside and stand by as someone from “upstairs” was coming down to see me.
I promptly complied and shortly thereafter, an unidentified man appeared and informed me that I would not be allowed into the venue. Surprised, I requested to know why. He stated that I was being denied entry to the event per an instruction from an unidentified “Big man upstairs” because of the shirt I was wearing.
Shocked, I took a thorough look at my shirt and asked him what was wrong with it. He then stated that my T-shirt was “against Nigeria”. I was flabbergasted and demanded to know:
a. What was Nigeria’s interest in my T-Shirt?
b. What was it about Leah Sharibu that was anti-Nigeria?
c. What exactly was Nigeria’s interest which my T-Shirt could have violated?
He had no answer for me except repeatedly saying that he was acting on the instruction of the unidentified “Big man upstairs”.
At this point, I requested to see the so-called “Big man upstairs” or have him come downstairs and see me to explain to me the reason I was singled out for such a bizzaro treatment that day. My requests were all turned down.
Next, I explained to the man, that I was duly invited to the event by the USIP and went ahead, pulled up the email proof from my phone and showed him. I also assured him that I did not mean any harm or trouble whatsoever.
At this stage, he asked me to give him a second or two to talk to the “Big man upstairs”. When he came back, he told me that he had an order to expel me from the building unless I took the shirt off and put it in the trash. I was totally speechless and inquired if we were still in the United States or Iran?
Then I asked him if I could take the shirt off and hold it in my hand but he refused. Next, I asked him if he or the security guards could safely keep the shirt for me and give it back to me after the event. Once again, he said, “No,” and then ordered me to move out of the building.
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“Big man upstairs” doubles down on ejection order
At this stage, I informed him that it was sad enough to deny me entry to an event to which I was duly invited, but that it was quite humiliating to ask me to take off my shirt in public and put it in the trash bin.
At this point, my tormentor-in-chief informed me that the event had started and that I could no longer be admitted, even if I took off my shirt, and motioned to the security guards numbering about five or six who had all the while been keenly watching us, to forcefully take me out of the building.
I managed to put a call to my senior learned colleague Emmanuel Ogebe to let him know what was going on. I then requested to record the situation but my request was turned down while the security guards began to shove and push me out of the building despite my protestations.
Mr. Ogebe advised me to just get out of the building first while we try to sort out the rest of the issues later. I then asked the security guards and my tormentor-in-chief to stop pushing me and let me go out on my own, but they refused and evicted me out of the premises.
Ordinarily, I would have written you earlier to complain about this strange, ignoble, humiliating, discriminatory, traumatizing, inhumane, degrading and thoroughly un-American treatment but I chose to wait for a while to see if the management or anybody from USIP would reach out to me with an explanation and/or apology for what happened to me.
Since none has come nearly three weeks after, despite outreach on my behalf by Mr Ogebe, I can only assume that what happened to me had the official blessing of the top management of USIP.
Demand for explanation, apology
Accordingly, I demand as follows:
1. An explanation from USIP as to why it chose to humiliate, discriminate, assault, traumatize and maltreat me the way it did on December 16, 2022.
2. An explanation as to what was this Nigeria’s sacred interest that I had gone against, particularly given that no dress code was stipulated, and no specific form of dress or dressing was prohibited for the event.
3. An explanation as to how my T-shirt emblazoned with the photo of a globally recognized victim of terrorism and specifically US-designated prisoner of conscience, LEAH SHARIBU who had been forcefully abducted since 2018 and has continued to date to be violently, sexually, religiously, culturally and morally violated by Islamic terrorists and fundamentalists in Nigeria offends Nigeria’s or USA’s interests. Or does USIP equate the Buhari regime as the same with the terrorists holding Leah captive?
4. An explanation as to what USIP actually stands for as well as its real mission if force was used to crush the concept of religious freedom symbolized on my shirt
5. An investigation into this ugly incident by reason of which I, as a U.S. tax-payer and USIP funder, was denied an opportunity to interact with the president of my country of birth.
6. That you identify and unveil the identity of the so-called “Big man upstairs” and whom he acted for on that day and event.
7. Finally, an unreserved and unconditional apology from USIP regarding its shameful action against me and all men of good conscience in the United States, Nigeria and around the world.
It would interest you to know that I used to hold USIP in high esteem until this very sad experience. As one with a long-standing interest and experience in national security, opportunities such as that offered by your 12/16/22 event present a great opportunity to x-ray and analyze our position as a nation on global and sectoral issues as they affect the US.
As an E.H.L.S Scholar over ten years ago, my dissertation centered on insecurity in Nigeria and as such events such as yours provide me an opportunity for intellectual introspection.
Recently I attended a similar event at Howard University here in Washington DC, where Gov Peter Obi, one of Nigeria’s presidential candidates in the February 25, 2023general elections, addressed a rally with a far greater attendance than your event with no embarrassment or harassment of any attendee. That leaves me speechless and wondering what USIP stands for and in whose interest it exists and operates.
I request the basic decency of a response to my concerns within a week. It is but a common courtesy that I suppose even USIP can afford.
Sincerely,
Uzochukwu J. Nwokwu,
Washington DC