The Nigerian Embassy in Berlin Germany, currently enmeshed in a sex for passport scandal, says it has suspended a staff accused of sleeping with women, including married ones in exchange for passport appointment dates.
Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Tuggar said this in a statement issued by Mr. Peter Lambat on Tuesday, which was sent to CHECKPOINTCHARLEY.
Ambassador Tuggar assured that “we have a zero-tolerance policy towards abuse of office and especially of sexual misconduct. Our full resources are being deployed to investigate a very serious incident and any other abuses that this inquiry may reveal.”
The statement read, “The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in Germany announced today that it has suspended with immediate effect a local staff( security unit) in connection with allegations of sexual abuse and other serious criminal activity.
“The staff, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was suspended following the circulation of material on social media that suggested the official was demanding sexual favours in return for official services.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy towards abuse of office and especially of sexual misconduct. Our full resources are being deployed to investigate a very serious incident and any other abuses that this inquiry may reveal.
“The investigation is taking place with all the urgency and diligence that this very serious situation demands. When due process is complete, any guilty party can expect to face the full weight of the law. Our heartfelt sympathies are with any innocent victims of abuse.”
Meanwhile, a video is currently trending in the internet, showing the said security officer at the embassy in a Berlin hotel room, attempting to sleep with a married woman, who came from Italy for passport renewal.
Nigerian citizens in Germany and some other Eastern European country allege that since 02.12.2018, when the online appointment for passport matters was introduced my the Nigerian Embassy Berlin, some unscrupulous embassy officials have been extorting money and sex from Nigerians desperate to renew their passport’s or apply for new ones.
Nigerians without valid appointments are no longer attended to at the embassy.
A check at the website site of the Nigerian Embassy lends credence to the allegation. There are no open appointment dates until March 2021. So the question is, how could it be possible? Please see snapshots below:
However, Mr. Lambat told CHECKPOINTCHARLEY in a telephone chat that it is so due to the activities of touts, who he said exploit the booking-system to make money. He however promised that improvements would be made.
“Its unfortunate. Typical of us, Nigerians we find ways of beating an established system, designed to work for us,” he said.
“Touts go into the system, make booking and then sell it to would-be interested buyers. This has been happening and the Embassy has tried to change the system from one to the other, in in the effort to curtail these sharp practices. But like you know, IT is always evolving. So we find out after that they have found a way of going through the back door to beat the improvement.
“But we continue to make improvements to check this intrusions.”
According to Mr. Lambat, a committee has already been set up by the Embassy to look into the nefarious activities of the security staff demanding sex for passport. He added that the final outcome will be communicated to the public.
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