Shehu Sani reacts to US visa restriction on saboteurs of democracy, says national laws aren’t enough deterrent

A former lawmaker representing Kaduna Central in the Senate, Shehu Sani has welcomed the decision by the government of the United States of America to impose visa restriction on Nigerians who have ‘sabotaged’ the country’s democracy.

Reacting to the development in a post on his Twitter page, Shehu Sani who described the move as a welcome development, urged other countries to toe the same path.

According to him, the latest decision to impose travel restrictions on certain individuals responsible for undermining the Nigerian democratic process during the last general elections indicates that “national laws aren’t enough deterrent”.

He wrote thus on Twitter; “The announcement by the US to impose visa restrictions on persons who ‘undermine democracy’ by their role in the last elections is a welcome development; other nations should emulate this.

READ ALSO: Nigerians who have ‘sabotaged’ the country’s democracy to face US visa ban

“Its clear that national laws aren’t enough deterrent.”

In a statement on Tuesday signed by Morgan Ortagus, spokesperson of the US department of state, it condemned all who “sabotaged” the country’s democracy.

Ortagus said: “The United States is a steadfast supporter of Nigerian democracy. We commend all those Nigerians who participated peacefully in the February and March 2019 elections and have worked to strengthen Nigerian democratic institutions and processes.”

“As Nigeria marks the twentieth anniversary of a return to democratic rule this year, we remain committed to working together to continue to advance democracy and respect for human rights and achieve greater peace and prosperity for both our nations. We condemn those whose acts of violence, intimidation, or corruption harmed Nigerians or undermined the democratic process.

Ortagus said the unnamed individuals had “operated with impunity at the expense of the Nigerian people and undermined democratic principles and human rights.”

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