The House of Representatives has written to the Canadian government, urging it to investigate and prosecute Amaka Patience Sunnberger, a Nigerian living in Canada, for making threatening remarks against Nigerians of Yoruba and Benin descent. The appeal follows a video clip that began trending on social media platform X.com on Tuesday, in which a woman’s voice is heard making anti-Yoruba comments during a virtual TikTok meeting.
The woman, who identified herself as a resident of Ontario, Canada, threatened to bring poisonous substances to her workplace to harm any Yoruba or Benin individuals she encountered. Sunnberger claimed that her comments were a response to what she described as “hate” directed towards the Igbo ethnic group.
Federal lawmakers Biodun Omoleye and Tochukwu Chinedu Okere signed the letter on behalf of the Nigeria-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group and the House Committee on Diaspora Matters. The letter expressed deep concern over Sunnberger’s inflammatory statements, emphasizing that they pose a direct threat to the lives and safety of millions of Nigerians.
The letter read, in part, “Ms. Sunnberger has recently been recorded making inflammatory statements that incite violence against the Yoruba and Edo ethnic groups in Nigeria, including advocating the poisoning of food and water supplies to achieve their mass genocide.” The lawmakers highlighted that Sunnberger’s statements violate multiple international, Canadian, and Ontario laws, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the Criminal Code of Canada.
The letter also outlined specific actions requested from the Canadian government:
1. Investigation: An immediate and thorough investigation by Canadian law enforcement and appropriate authorities into Sunnberger’s actions.
2. Prosecution: Prosecution under relevant sections of the Criminal Code of Canada to hold Sunnberger accountable for incitement to genocide and hate speech.
3. Public Denouncement: A public condemnation of Sunnberger’s actions by the Canadian government to reaffirm its commitment to combatting hate speech, violence, and genocide.
4. Collaboration with Nigerian Authorities: Cooperation with Nigerian authorities to prevent potential escalation of violence and ensure justice is served.
The lawmakers stressed the seriousness of Sunnberger’s remarks, warning that such rhetoric could incite real-world violence both in Nigeria and within the Nigerian diaspora. They called for swift and decisive action to address the threats posed by Sunnberger’s statements and to safeguard the safety of Nigerian communities.
