The High Commission of Canada in Nigeria has addressed reports about the refusal of visas to Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, and other senior military officials who intended to attend an event in Canada.
In a brief statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) account on Friday, the High Commission confirmed the media reports but refrained from commenting on the visa applications of specific individuals, citing privacy concerns.
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“The High Commission of Canada in Nigeria is aware of media reports related to planned travel to Canada by senior officials. However, for privacy reasons, we are unable to provide any comment on the status of visa applications of specific individuals,” the statement read.
The development followed General Musa’s announcement on Thursday during the inaugural annual lecture of the National Association of the Institute for Security Studies (AANISS) in Abuja, where he revealed that he and several of his colleagues had been refused visas to attend an event in Canada.
“Every disappointment is a blessing. Yesterday, I was meant to be in Canada. There’s an event to honour our veterans, those that were injured during battles, and we were meant to be there,” Musa said.
“We were invited with our team. Half has gone, and half has been denied. It’s very disappointing,” he added.