the demolished Nigerian High Commission buildings in Accra

Ghana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has apologised to the Nigerian government after the building housing high commission staff was demolished on Friday night.

In a press statement, the ministry said it viewed with concern the development, which is a breach of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

It expressed regrets over the demolition.

“While expressing regrets over the incident, the Ministry wishes to reassure the diplomatic community in Ghana
and the Nigerian High Commission in particular that Ghana remains a law abiding country that upholds the principle of the rule of law”.

Officials will be visiting the Nigerian High Commission tomorrow to access the damage done to the property, one report said.

The plot of land in dispute houses the residence of the Nigerian High commissioners residence and four other buildings

Ghana Foreign Affairs Statement on Nigerian diplomatic property

It was allocated to the Nigerian government in the sixties.

A portion of the land had remained undeveloped until eight years ago when building work began.

A Ghanaian businessman claims legitimate ownership of the land.

Nigeria and the Ghanaian governments resolved the ownership issue, when Nigeria paid fifty million Ghanaian cedis for the land.

Building works commenced on a portion of the land after all approvals were sought and obtained from regulatory authorities.

Nigeria’s foreign minister Geoffrey Onyeama strongly condemned the demolition earlier today.

“We strongly condemn two outrageous criminal attacks in Accra, #Ghana, on a residential building in our diplomatic premises by unknown persons in which a bulldozer was used to demolish the building”, Onyeama tweeted.

“We are engaging the Ghanaian Government and demand urgent action to find the perpetrators and provide adequate protection for Nigerians and their property in Ghana”, he wrote.