MPs and alleged sex scandal
The United States Government’s allegation of sexual misconduct and attempted rape against three members of the House of Representatives is a serious matter that calls for thorough investigation even though it has some puzzling aspects. In a letter to Speaker Yakubu Dogara dated June 9, US Ambassador to Nigeria James Entwistle accused Mark Gbillah [APC, […]
The United States Government’s allegation of sexual misconduct and attempted rape against three members of the House of Representatives is a serious matter that calls for thorough investigation even though it has some puzzling aspects. In a letter to Speaker Yakubu Dogara dated June 9, US Ambassador to Nigeria James Entwistle accused Mark Gbillah [APC, Benue], Samuel Ikon [PDP, Akwa Ibom] and Garba Gololo [APC, Bauchi] of solicitation for sex while on a recent trip to Cleveland, Ohio for the International Visitors Leadership Programme. They were among seven others that attended the programme.
According to Entwistle, Gololo allegedly grabbed a housekeeper who was cleaning his hotel room and solicited for sex while Gbillah and Ikon allegedly asked hotel parking attendants to help them get prostitutes. Dogara described the allegation as serious and expressed worry that many Nigerians have already adjudged the accused lawmakers as guilty without considering the implications for the entire country.
The three accused lawmakers have lamented that the matter overwhelmed the news for several days and tarnished their image. They asked the House leadership to conduct a public investigative hearing on the matter. MP Samuel Ikon also wrote to Ambassador Entwistle and threatened to seek legal redress in Nigerian and American courts. He said he was ill during the trip and could not have solicited for sex. He also said he would have no other option but to go to court if the ambassador failed to clear his name of the allegation.
It is not a trifling matter at all that the US Ambassador would write such a letter to Speaker Dogara. It is assumed that the Americans did their own investigation before writing such a letter, as this affair could affect diplomatic relations between the two countries. It could also jeopardise American training programmes for Nigerian legislators, given the mutual suspicion that this affair will bring. Still, there are puzzling aspects to the whole affair. One is that the lawmakers attended this programme in Ohio about five months ago. This is too much time within which to carry out a simple investigation of this nature. Also, if the MPs, who have no diplomatic immunity from prosecution, committed an offence such as grabbing a housekeeper, the Americans should have charged the suspect to court right away rather than let him return home and then come up with a letter to the Speaker.
Speaker Dogara rightly lamented that many Nigerians have already concluded that the accused MPs are guilty as charged. Unfortunately, this is because the behaviour of some MPs even here at home is not always exemplary. Many of them live a life of opulence and impunity, believing that they can get away with anything. A man who regularly tramples upon the law and regulation in his own country could easily be tempted to do so abroad.
We are not saying however that the accused are guilty of the charges. They must be given the benefit of doubt since they all denied the accusation. This must be a trying period for the lawmakers, all of whom have families and friends. The House leadership should not allow the matter to drag on and should conduct an impartial inquiry. If the MPs wish to sue Mr. Entwistle for making this allegation, they can reasonably do so only after a House investigation clears them. All eyes are therefore on the House of Representatives to carry out a thorough investigation so that Nigerians will know the truth.
Without implying that the accused MPs were guilty as charged, this sordid affair is a reminder to all public officers, and other Nigerians as well, that when they are travelling abroad, they are ambassadors of the country and should be very careful not to put themselves in any situation that could bring disrepute to themselves and the country.