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The Nigerian government has expelled American missionary Alex Barbir from the country following controversy surrounding his comments about violence in the North-Central region.
“He (Barbir) has been, we can say, removed and sent out of the country because of the work he’s doing, which is creating division,” a presidential aide, Abiodun Essiet, disclosed during an interview.
Essiet told TVC News that the decision was taken after authorities concluded that some of Barbir’s public remarks could inflame tensions in parts of the country, particularly Plateau State.
Speaking in a television interview, Essiet alleged that statements attributed to Barbir had the potential to deepen divisions and provoke unrest.
Essiet also claimed that two people were reportedly killed shortly after a speech he delivered in Jos.
“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.”
The government has not publicly released additional details about the circumstances of the expulsion.
Barbir, however, has denied the allegations. In a statement posted on his Facebook page, he rejected claims linking his activities to violence in Jos and accused Ms Essiet of misrepresenting the situation.
“Let it be known that if Abiodun Essiet… 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.”
Barbir, a former American college football player who later trained in medicine, had gained attention in Nigeria for his humanitarian work in communities affected by violence in Benue and Plateau states.
