Indicted Lawmakers In Sex Scandal Barred From Travelling To U.S.

The United States government has formally cancelled the Visas of the three members of the House of Representatives who allegedly assaulted a Hotel housekeeper, and solicited sex from prostitutes during a recent trip to the US to participate in the International Visitor Leadership Programme on Good Governance.

One of the lawmakers, Hon. Terse Gbillah, wrote the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria James Entwistle on Thursday (yesterday), accusing the US of not giving the three members fair hearing.

Gbillah also expressed surprise in his letter that within hours of bringing the matter to the attention of the House, the US Government had gone ahead to cancel the visas of the lawmakers.

He threatened to immediately institute legal actions against the US Government, the Ambassador and the Marriot Hotel Brand, among others for damages.

Part of Gbillah’s letter reads, “Without conclusive evidence of any sort or contact with any of the accused individuals, the US State Department and US Embassy in Nigeria have less than six days after your letter to the Speaker, gone ahead to revoke the US visas of the accused individuals based on hearsay from the employees of the hotel in Cleveland.

“Affected individuals received correspondence from the US Embassy on Wednesday, June 15, 2016, indicating the denial of their US visas and requesting that they bring their passports with the current US visa to the Embassy.”

The letter was copied to Dogara, the US Secretary of State, Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Cleveland Council of World Affairs, and the President and Chief Executive Officer, Marriott International.

On his part, Hon. Samuel Ikon claimed that the allegation levelled against him was not only untrue but also a case of mistaken identity.

He stated: “My attention has been drawn to the publication, alleging an act of impropriety against me by the US Mission in Nigeria. I wish to state unequivocally that this is false and definitely not me.

“This, to me, is a case of mistaken identity and I have already instituted measures both legally and diplomatically to clear my name and the institution I represent”.