The House of Representatives on Thursday called on the Federal Government to take urgent diplomatic and other measures to ensure the safe return of former President Goodluck Jonathan, who is trapped in Guinea-Bissau following a military coup.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance moved by House Leader Prof. Julius Ihonvbere.
Ihonvbere informed the House that Jonathan, who was in the country as part of an election observation mission, became stranded after the military seized power while election results were yet to be officially declared.
Hundreds of foreign observers are reportedly also stranded after the military takeover.
The coup was carried out by officers calling themselves the “High Military Command for the Restoration of Order”, who claimed total control of the country a day after the two leading candidates president Umaro Sissoco Embalo and Fernando Dias each declared victory.
The officers immediately suspended the electoral process, imposed an overnight curfew, and closed all land, air, and sea borders.
Embalo told French media that he had been deposed and was at the general staff headquarters. Opposition leader Domingos Simoes Pereira was also reportedly arrested, while internet access was being disrupted.
Prof. Ihonvbere urged the Nigerian government to explore all diplomatic avenues to secure Jonathan’s return and ensure the safety of other stranded observers.
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