The United Kingdom has announced that its mission is compiling a list of individuals who will face a visa ban. According to the Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Ben Llewellyn‑Jones, the list already contains between five and ten names, with more to be added. He explained on a current‑affairs programme on Nigerian Info that the names of defaulters will not be published, citing legal protections that prevent disclosure. The British High Commission had earlier said that UK Minister of State for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell MP was prepared to act against those who engaged in or incited electoral violence during the recently concluded general elections. The High Commission confirmed that the UK is gathering information on perpetrators and will impose sanctions, including denying UK visas or applying measures under the human‑rights sanctions regime.
Llewellyn‑Jones emphasized that the list is being compiled based on specific information about individuals. “We’re working through a list and we don’t publish those names. I know people say we should, but we have laws that protect us,” he said. He added that the mission has been monitoring the situation closely, with staff on the ground in Lagos and other key locations, and that the list is expected to grow.
When asked about triggers for violence during the campaign, Llewellyn‑Jones condemned a controversial statement attributed to Femi Fani‑Kayode, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council. He lamented that the APC had not yet distanced itself from Fani‑Kayode’s comments, stating, “It is wrong for him to speak on behalf of the party, and the party should distance itself from such remarks.” He also criticized the divisive politics that unfolded in Lagos, questioning how the city could succeed as a cosmopolitan melting pot if such tensions persisted.
Fani‑Kayode responded on Twitter, urging the British envoy to stay out of Nigeria’s internal affairs. He wrote, “I would advise this Ben, who I am told is the Deputy High Commissioner of the UK to Nigeria, to keep his dirty nose out of our internal affairs. Nigeria stopped being a British colony 63 years ago and we need no lessons from him on how to run our affairs or conduct our politics.” He further accused the envoy of supporting an undisclosed candidate in the presidential election, adding, “I know that his preferred candidate did not win, but that does not give him the right to take liberties with us. I am not one of those Nigerians that bow, shake, shiver and tremble before the British or any other foreigner.”
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