Political Blunder As Nigerian Foreign Minister Stands By Abdulmutallab

Nigeria will not abandon Farouk Abdulmutallab, says Minister
on OCTOBER 12, 2011 · in NEWS
     
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – Nigeria will not abandon accused “underwear bomber” Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab even when he is in prison, the country’s foreign minister said Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Olubenga Ashiru told reporters that he believes Abdulmutallab “has gone through a fair trial” in Detroit.

The Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab pleaded guilty Wednesday to trying to blow up a US-bound airliner on December 25, 2009, saying he had sought to avenge the killing of Muslims. He had previously pleaded not guilty.

Ashiru said the Nigerian embassy in Washington had found a lawyer for Abdulmutallab and had monitored the proceedings.

“We stand by our nationals, and when even they are jailed we still will visit them in prison,” the minister said.

“We do not abandon them solely because they have been sentenced. We continue to offer all consular assistance to all people, including Abdulmuttalab whenever he is sentenced,” Ashiru said.

Abdulmutallab is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison. Many of the counts to which he pleaded guilty carry mandatory minimum sentences of 30 years without parole, which must be served consecutively.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/10/nigeria-will-not-abandon-farouk-abdulmutallab-says-minister/

Sometimes i wonder if there is a curse on Nigeria.
How can a Foreign Minister commit such a blunder:

Ashiru said the Nigerian embassy in Washington had found a lawyer for Abdulmutallab and had monitored the proceedings.

“We stand by our nationals, and when even they are jailed we still will visit them in prison,” the minister said.

“We do not abandon them solely because they have been sentenced. We continue to offer all consular assistance to all people, including Abdulmuttalab whenever he is sentenced,” Ashiru said.

So technically, Nigeria stands by her citizens found to be terrorist when America is killing her own when they are involved in terror activities.
No wonder bokoharam is thriving. So far, this is the worst regime in the history of this Nation. 

@OP

Is this not what countries provide for their citizens? Or do we stop being citizens if we do what the government does not like?

Misplaced loyalty.

This is not what is meant by a country standing by it's citizens.

27naira:

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/10/nigeria-will-not-abandon-farouk-abdulmutallab-says-minister/

Sometimes i wonder if there is a curse on Nigeria.
How can a Foreign Minister commit such a blunder:

Ashiru said the Nigerian embassy in Washington had found a lawyer for Abdulmutallab and had monitored the proceedings.

“We stand by our nationals, and when even they are jailed we still will visit them in prison,” the minister said.

“We do not abandon them solely because they have been sentenced. We continue to offer all consular assistance to all people, including Abdulmuttalab whenever he is sentenced,” Ashiru said.

So technically, Nigeria stands by her citizens found to be terrorist when [s]America is killing her own when they are involved in terror activities.[/s]
No wonder bokoharam is thriving. So far, this is the worst regime in the history of this Nation.  

You mean like they killed Amanda Knox abi ? America government only kill naturalized americans from states alledged to be sponsoring terrorist besides mutallab is still a Nigerian but politics won't let us see it that way.

Nothing wrong with what HMFA said although Nigeria doesn't really stand it's Nationals in or outside prison. They got him a lawyer because it's a high profile case

wrong topic by poster.

what we should be talking now is extending such service to all nigerians

This is the correct response. Not really supposed to abandon your citizens to foreign lands, even if they commit heinous crimes (even if your country don't give a crap about this particular dude.)

Otherwise you look bad and "lose face."

You and I as private individuals can condemn the dude, but Nigeria as a state cannot.

We should support this Guy, If you are a true Nigerian. Am sure this stuff ain't Mutallab fault. This guy is sick and has mental issues. We should all come around as 1 and fight the US for detaining a mental derailed personality. Adbul is Mad!!!

Abdulmutallab is more likely to get the death penalty whether we stand by him or not

baby-boy:

Abdulmutallab is more likely to get the death penalty whether we stand by him or not

he faces life imprisonment

Ijogz K:

We should support this Guy, If you are a true Nigerian. Am sure this stuff ain't Mutallab fault. This guy is sick and has mental issues. We should all come around as 1 and fight the US for detaining a mental derailed personality. Adbul is Mad!!!

In your opinion, shey?
we should rally round a suicide bomber who had pleaded guilty to all the charges levied against him? U mean if you son had gone out to fight another friend with the intention of killing him and your son was arrested and he pleaded guity that he actually want to kill d other fellow, then u will come out and say you son is right that everybody must support him.
You are a complete cave man

Although the approach sounds and looks like a good principle, I will suggest they abandon and ditch the piece of shyt and not waste our meagre resources on him.

Is it because he's a rich boy or that he's a terrorist ? Which one ?

“We stand by our nationals, and when even they are jailed we still will visit them in prison,” the minister said.

This Ashiru of a foreign minister is something else. This was the same man that said that no Nigerian was killed in Libya, even when the news of such killings across Libya was no longer news, even for the lizards in his village. As for the quote above, tell that to the Nigerians in diaspora.

yeah rite , just like they did to iwuchukwu tochi amara who didnt live to fulfill his football dreams

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iwuchukwu_Amara_Tochi

I thought he's been sentenced to life in prison already?abi I no understand wetin I hear for news again.
 If they want to stay with him in prison sef,that's their business but they shouldn't waste our resources on him abeg,whether he is nigerian or not the guy is evil and needs to be treated as such.

Is it because he is a rich man pikin?
The poor ibo boys chilling in thai and chinese prisons for drug related offences
never got this sort of verbal support.
But saying this for a high profile terror suspect is bad news for forieign policy

heiii! This man don finish nigeria.

More searching at the airports.
More countries will see us as terrorist nations.
GEJ should sack this man.
He has painted the pale white in our nigerian flag with blood.

'nigeria will not abandon her first terrorist?' This man has killed us.
He has rubished the FG's effors to restore the image of nigeria soiled by that underwear bomber. Shit.
Someone give me a pistol.

“We stand by our nationals, and when even they are jailed we still will visit them in prison,” the minister said.


[so even if he's been sentenced to dead to meet his promised SEVEN VIRGINS we'll still go there to visit him?i'll do that if only is ready to share his seven virgins with me.]

No Comment!

This minister fall my hand sha, I've always been proud of him cos he's from my state, OGUN but now he is a FLOP!!! What nonsense

Imagine a whole minister coming out to unashamedly lend support to this novice terrorist which has helped d-face the image of Nigeria some more.

When other countries pass through such similar circumstance they waste no time in distancing themselves from such elements yet this one wan do reverse. . .

Honestly this man should speak for himself, it's not as if Abdulmutallab never abandoned Nigeria and the consequences that will befall her when he adopted such ideologies and chose his path (smh).

~Bluetooth:

You mean like they killed Amanda Knox abi ? America government only kill naturalized americans from states alledged to be sponsoring terrorist besides mutallab is still a Nigerian but politics won't let us see it that way.

Well let me help you here.America would kill a US born citizen if he/she poses a danger to other  US citizens or viewed as a threat to national security.

A missile fired from an American drone has struck and killed a radical US-born Islamic cleric in Yemen, bringing an end to a controversial, two-year manhunt but reigniting questions over the targeting of a US citizen on foreign soil.

Anwar al-Awlaki, a dual US-Yemeni citizen, has been one of America's top targets in its fight against al-Qaida. His firebrand rhetoric had become renowned on jihadi websites and is thought to have inspired many more followers. With a blog, a Facebook page and numerous YouTube videos of his sermons, he had increasingly been regarded by the US as one of the most dangerous al-Qaida leaders.

President Barack Obama authorised a request to target Awlaki in April last year, making him the first US citizen to be a legal target for assassination in the post-9/11 years. He was one of two US citizens killed in the strike. Samir Khan, US-born editor of Al Qaeda's online jihadist magazine, was also killed in the attack, according to Yemeni officials.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/30/anwar-al-awlaki-killed-yemen

I think the Minister was only playing to the gallery. Of what good is our support to the misguided bloody terrorist, a spoilt mummy's boy. Abi they think Naija can settle or beg the judge to let him go. They should not kill him he should be put away for life so that he will live to pass some messages to potential Abdulmutallabs of Nigeria shior. The other day i was on my way to Lyon for a conference, on arrival at Charles De Gaulle airport you need to see the way all Nigerians on that Air France flight were asked to step aside for rigorous search particularly those of them that were on transit to the far East. I and my junior colleague were spared of the embarrassment because 1- we were carrying official blue passport and 2nd we were going to Lyon i believe they must have followed us and stopped after knowing our status. That is what our coke pushers and the likes of Abdullmutallab have caused us in Nigeria.

She-Rebel:

yeah rite ,  just like they did to iwuchukwu tochi amara who didnt live to fulfill his football dreams  

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iwuchukwu_Amara_Tochi

Use your brain if you have one.

Is it the same government?

Who are "they"?

Start using your brain to realise different governments have different philosophies and policies.

This is similar to the moronic arguments you get from illiterates when they say "Oh, America did this in the 70s or 80s, so why are they doing different now".

We have clean, innocent Nigerians languishing in our prisons, 'awaiting trial', yet this clown has the guts to talk rot. Wow!

many Nigerians in America and other part of the world suffering this clueless man saying we will stand by our nationals, I hope this guy understand what his saying

I dom tire for all this mumu politician representing Nigeria

Well, since he was not declared 'persona non grata' at the instance, I guess it will always go downhill from there.

And yes western countries do target their nationals abroad more than is reported.

There's no such thing as unending statutes. When push came to shove one time hero and strong man Milosevic was sent to the Hague naked of any Serbian representation even with strong left wing disapproval. Those who love Abdul and disapprove of the trial should visit him.

In Milosevic's case, the government simply had other interests. The question now is, what is our government's interest in this ruinous matter.

Ab-dull-militant as really made a bad error but we have enough of them in Niger Delta and Boko Haram, we should support him because Militants   part of our culture

I think Abdulmutallab is either mad or something. For a boy whose father is very rich to have done this. It is sad. something is wrong with him. and he need to see a brain doctor. Something is wrong., somewhere. he needs  to see a doctor. He may have chemical inbalance in his brain. which nigerian do not know about.

Whem these fellows say and do things as ambassadors they do so on behalf of not only the government but the peoples of the country they claim to represent.
I can't see why he can't see the negative cost/benefit. If he was attacked by pesky reporters, his diplomatic training should have simply sealed his lips.