Assist News report: “Nigerian Representatives ‘Refuse’ To Meet Protesters In Los Angeles”

By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST Ministries

A Nigerian protestor outside the hotel

LOS ANGELES, CA (ANS) — Nigerian government representatives “refused” to meet with protestors who staged a protest in Los Angeles, California, on Saturday, March 20, 2010 against the recent bloodshed in Jos, Nigeria, which has seen more than 500 Christians murdered, a Nigerian-born Christian human rights activist has claimed.

This was claimed by Helen Bako, founder of Nigerian Women Against Violence (NWAV) and organizer of the three-hour protest that took place outside the Gateway Sheraton in Los Angeles, where representatives of the Nigerian government were staying.

The protestors carried edited pictures of those killed and placards stating, “No More Deaths”, “Why Women? Why Children?”, “Machetes Kill in Cold Blood,” and “Nigerian Police, Do You Care?” were carried in a peaceful demonstration outside the hotel.

Ms. Bako, who originally comes from the Jos area, told ANS, “We then requested that the hotel management inform the Nigerian delegation that Nigerian citizens were waiting to meet with their government representatives to express their concern about the violence.

The protesters make their points at the hotel

“Hotel representatives gave us conflicting information about the presence of Nigerian representatives until hotel manager agreed to contact the Nigerian delegation with our request. He then came back and informed us that the answer was ‘no’ to a meeting, and that he could not give the name of the person who had given this decision on the grounds of hotel confidentiality.

“He then requested that our NWAV demonstrators leave the hotel property and so we picked up our signs, which had been set aside at the request of the hotel manager, and returned to their peaceful demonstration on the street outside the hotel.”

Ms. Bako added, “Reliable sources have informed us that Awalu Ibrahim, Consul General of Nigeria, was in the hotel at the time.”

For more information on Nigerian Women Against Violence, or to set up an interview with Helen Bako, you can contact her at (714) 673-7770 or by e-mail at: bakohe@aol.com