A retired Nigerian police officer’s appeal for asylum was denied by a Canadian federal court, with Madam Justice Ngo stating that the Nigeria Police Force is notorious for bribery, extortion, and other vices.
This ruling comes amid several failed asylum applications by former Nigerian security operatives due to the tarnished image of the country’s police abroad.
Martins Peter Nwokolo, who served as a traffic warden in the Nigerian police force, sought the court’s help after two previous asylum rejections—first by the Refugee Protection Division (RPD) and later by the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD). He appealed on the grounds of unreasonableness and procedural unfairness in the decisions.
However, in a ruling issued on October 23, 2024, Ms. Go dismissed Mr. Nwokolo’s grievances, affirming that the RPD and RAD were justified in denying his asylum. Under Canadian law, individuals who have committed “serious non-political crimes” before arriving in Canada are barred from receiving refugee status. Ms. Go noted that Mr. Nwokolo fell into this category due to the notorious corruption within the Nigerian police, including widespread extortion and bribery.
“On April 11, 2022, the RPD found serious reasons to consider that the Applicant committed, under Article 1F(b) of the Convention, serious non-political crimes prior to entering Canada, namely extortion and bribery,” Ms. Go said in her ruling.
The court emphasized that the Nigerian police, including traffic wardens, play a major role in contributing to the country’s corruption.
“The RPD found that the police force as well as the traffic wardens are highly corrupt and that members of these forces are expected to contribute to this system of returns,” she said.
Despite Mr. Nwokolo’s denial of the accusations—asserting that he had never engaged in bribery or extortion—the RPD concluded that there were valid reasons to believe he participated in such activities. “Even though the applicant alleges that he has never taken any bribes or extorted people as a traffic warden, the RPD found that there were serious reasons to consider that the applicant participated in those activities,” Ms. Go stated.
Mr. Nwokolo, who has been a pastor at the Chapel of Power Ministries since 2005, claimed that his rejection of a chief priest position in Nigeria in 2018 led to his persecution. He initially relocated within Nigeria before moving to the U.S. and later to Canada to seek asylum.
Due to the damaged reputation of Nigeria’s police force globally, many former security officers face similar asylum rejections.
News Source: Peoples Gazette
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