₦airaland Forum

Tinubu Gov't Is Lying To Nigerians; I Was Not Deported – American Missionary Alex Barber

American missionary, Alex Barber, has strongly denied claims by the Nigerian government that he was deported from the country, describing the allegation as false and misleading.

Barber, reacting hours after reports of his alleged expulsion surfaced, insisted that he remained in Nigeria and had not been officially removed by authorities.

In a series of statements, he dismissed the government’s position and challenged officials to provide proof of any deportation process.

“2 hours before flight I’m live on Newscentral. DSS attached to me during my mission for protection. Round trip flights. 0 official deportation letter. Embassy never informed of any such desire. These lies only expose the evil in power in Nigeria. See you soon!” he said.

He further refuted claims attributed to Abiodun Essiet, the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Community Engagement (North Central), who had earlier stated that Barber was expelled over alleged inflammatory remarks.

“FALSE: If Abiodun Essiet, the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu made this statement, they are directly lying to the Nigerian and international community. I’ve never heard of this person, nor had conversation with them. US Embassy denies such claim,” Barber said.

Escalating his response, Barber accused Essiet of deliberately spreading falsehoods and attempting to mislead the public about his status in Nigeria.

“Why have you disgraced the Tinubu government by openly lying about me? @AbiodunEssiet Without any shame you lie to the world. As Nigerian security forces were attached to me, you claim I was deported. Shame on you. The Embassy will be in touch,” he added.

He also noted that the American embassy denied such development.

"US Embassy who denies any such deportation. Any deportation of US citizen must go through the embassy, of which none was made. If such a statement is true let it be known the Nigerian government is intentionally lying to both Nigeria and the international community."

Barber’s denial comes in response to earlier remarks by Essiet during a television interview, where she claimed that the government had taken decisive action against the missionary.

“Yeah, so we’ve realised what Alex Barber has done, so I must inform that Alex Barber is no longer in Nigeria,” Essiet had 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.”

She further alleged that Barber’s statements incited unrest, linking his speech in Jos, Plateau State, to subsequent violence.

“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. “Because of the impact of this provocative speech, which he has been making, he was sent out of the country and is no longer in Nigeria.”

Essiet also defended the government’s actions as preventive, warning against the dangers of divisive rhetoric and drawing parallels with the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

“That’s what the government has done, because we don’t want individuals to come and create division,” she said, adding that Nigeria must avoid narratives that could fuel ethnic or religious conflict.

However, Barber has maintained that no such action was taken against him, insisting that there was no official deportation notice and no communication with the United States Embassy regarding his alleged removal.

The conflicting accounts have raised questions over the accuracy of the government’s position and the circumstances surrounding the missionary’s activities in Nigeria who has been a critic of President Tinubu over handling of the country's security.

He has consistently accused the Tinubu administration of failing to secure different communities in Nigeria.

“It was DSS that was literally protecting my life from ev!l people in Nigeria. They were ordered by the government to ensure that nothing happens to me because I speak truth. As Musl!ms are calling for my arrest for speaking the truth, Gumi the known terr0rist walks freely.”… pic.twitter.com/N7qhGgIyqi

— Dr. Kenon (@drkenon2) April 7, 2026

EASTER WEEKEND BLOODBATH

What's going on is a systematic genocide and terror being perpetrated on Christians by radical Islamists.#ReligionOfPeace https://t.co/O8lNINbYWa pic.twitter.com/5mlIYxZfZM

— Tommy Robinson 🇬🇧 (@TRobinsonNewEra) April 7, 2026

This is Islam: “Our issue is not just Palestine, our issue is killing every non-Muslim. We will pursue Jews and Christians all over the world. Either they convert to Islam or we’ll kill them!”pic.twitter.com/mprhVIobKS

— Alexander Duncan (@AlexDuncanTX) April 7, 2026

gidgiddy:
The worrisome thing about Alex is that many Northerners were far more interested in his arrest and deportation, than they were about the arrest and prosecution of the gunmen killing the same Northerners

Why??

helinues:
Why do you want to Pkeme about Nigeria matter?

Americans are now living in their cars, buses, vans, SUVs are the housing cost is becoming unbearable. What have your likes said about it?

Mind your business and let us mind ours

helinues:
Why do you want to Pkeme about Nigeria matter?

Americans are now living in their cars, buses, vans, SUVs are the housing cost is becoming unbearable. What have your likes said about it?

Mind your business and let us mind ours

helinues:
Why do you want to Pkeme about Nigeria matter?

Americans are now living in their cars, buses, vans, SUVs are the housing cost is becoming unbearable. What have your likes said about it?

Mind your business and let us mind ours

OLAADEGBU:
Nigerian Christians Cry Out To God Amid Barbaric Attacks
CBN News and Caci Africa


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKPftudFWoc?si=DOkTCiSXpSSXq09e

gidgiddy:
The worrisome thing about Alex is that many Northerners were far more interested in his arrest and deportation, than they were about the arrest and prosecution of the gunmen killing the same Northerners

Why??

Memphis357:
That is what and where INEC brought over 220 million Nigerians into.
We weep and call on God to intervene 🤷

Every single one of you that is planning on voting that incompetent laden senile fool, Bola Ahmed Tinubu in next year's election... you WILL NOT live to see the end of 2026.

WorkTheTalk:
It’s troubling when the government’s narrative doesn’t match reality. Alex Barber says he wasn’t deported, yet officials claim otherwise. This lack of transparency is the same inactive posture we see on insecurity—Nigerians are left vulnerable while leaders play politics with the truth. Tinubu’s government must stop the lies and start tackling the real issues facing the people.

Nlfpmod