…. Expels controversial US missionary over divisive rhetoric
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has expelled Alex Barber, an American missionary working in Nigeria’s conflict-affected Middle Belt, accusing him of making statements capable of inciting violence and deepening divisions.
The development was confirmed by Abiodun Essiet, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Community Engagement (North Central), during an interview with TVC News on Monday.
Essiet said Barber’s activities had raised serious concerns about national unity and public safety.
“Yeah, so we’ve realised what Alex Barber has done, so I must inform that Alex Barber is no longer in Nigeria,” she said.
“He has been, we can say, removed and sent out of the country because of the work he’s doing, which is creating division.”
According to Essiet, Barber’s comments during a speech in Jos, Plateau State, allegedly had immediate consequences.
She claimed that violence broke out shortly after the remarks.
“Immediately after he made his speech in Jos, a lot of people didn’t know that two people, two Muslims, were killed immediately after his speech,” she said.
Essiet said the government acted to prevent narratives capable of fueling ethnic or religious violence.
She drew parallels with the 1994 Rwandan genocide, warning against allowing divisive rhetoric to spread.
“We don’t want individuals to come and create division,” she said.
“I’ve been to Rwanda a couple of times… As simple as this whole narrative of what Alex Barber was saying is what some foreign actors did in Rwanda, creating a rift between the Hutus and the Tutsis.”
She added that Nigeria must avoid similar dangers. “We must not allow people who do not understand the history of our crises to divide us.”
Barber has rejected claims that his statements contributed to violence.
In a post on his official Facebook page, he denied Essiet’s remarks.
“Let it be known that if Abiodun Essiet made this statement, they are directly lying to the Nigerian and international community,” he wrote.
“I’ve never heard of this person, nor had a conversation with them.”
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