‘Canada... they can go to hell’: Why Nigeria is angry with Canada

Nigeria is condemning Canada after some members of the country's Invictus Games team were denied visas. Genevieve Beauchemin reports.

A Nigerian security advisor says Canada can “go to hell” after visas were denied for members of his country’s Invictus Games delegation, as well as the highest-ranking military official, local media report.

Video is circulating in Nigeria of National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu speaking in the capital, Abuja, slamming the Canadian High Commission.

“Canada … they can go to hell,” he says in the video. “This disrespect is too much.”

This comes after Nigeria’s chief of defence staff, General Christopher Musa, said he and half his delegation, including other senior military officials, were denied entry into Canada to participate in Invictus Games in British Columbia.

“We are supposed to be there, and actually half of my team have already gone,” he said. “Unfortunately, the Canadian embassy, for the knowledge best known to them, denied us visa”

Musa said this was a “clear reminder to us that we are on our own, that we must stand strong as a nation.”

In an emailed statement to CTV News, Global Affairs Canada said “the onus is on the applicant to show that they meet the requirements for a temporary resident visa (TRV).”

The agency added that decisions to grant visas are at the discretion of officers who decide whether they are “satisfied that the applicant is a genuine temporary resident.”

Musa also spoke of a visit last year by the Duke of Sussex to Nigeria to promote the Invictus Games. Prince Harry founded the multi-sport event for wounded, injured and sick military service personnel. This year’s event is now in its fifth day.

Canada’s high commission in Nigeria posted on social media that it was aware of media reports regarding the denial of visas, but added that “for privacy reasons, we are unable to provide any comment on the status of visa applications of specific individuals.”