In a 9 February 1998 telephone interview with the Research Directorate, Mr. Hugh Winsor, parliamentary reporter for The Globe and Mail, stated that he did not have any additional information on the eight people mentioned in his article. Mr. Winsor wrote the article using other newswire releases and did not conduct further research as to whether there were eight, eleven or twelve people charged.

Human rights sources consulted by the Research Directorate do not mention that eight people were charged in Nigeria with regard to the 12 March 1997 accusations of treason. The accusations of treason were levelled against 16 people. None of sources consulted knew the origin of the figure of eight provided in the 13 March 1997 article by Hugh Winsor.

For documentary information on the people arrested in March 1997 in Nigeria, please consult section 3.2.4 of the 1997 report by Amnesty International called Nigeria: No Significant Change—Human Rights Violations Continue and pages 25-26 of the October 1997 report from Human Rights Watch/Africa entitled Nigeria: Transition or Travesty. These reports are available in your Regional Documentation Centre.

The following information was provided during a 6 February 1998 telephone interview with a researcher on Nigeria with Africa Watch in London, UK.

The researcher stated that there were 16 people accused of treason by the government of which 12 were charged and arrested in March 1997 in Nigeria. The researcher added that four others accused (Prof. Wole Soyinka, Chief Anthony Enaharo, Dr. Amos Akingba and Gen. Alani Akinrinade) were not listed on the charges sheet, but were mentioned in the text of the charges.

Those arrested and still in detention in Nigeria are: Dr. Frederick Fasehum, Chief Olu Falae (NADECO), Mr. Adegbenga Adebusuyi (farm manager for Lt-Gen. Akinrinade), Mr. Femi Adeyemiwo, Mr. Olayinka Festus Adebayo (personal assistant to Dr. Omostshola who was killed by a bomb on 15 Nov. 1996), Mr. Moses Akeke Akinmola, Mr. Bayo Johnson (an evangelist), Mr. Layi Odumade, Mr. Olugbenga Odumade, Mr. Moshood Yahaya, Mr. Musa Okoiyaafa, and Mr. Muhammed Sokere Lafiagi. Those safely living in exile in the United States and Britain are Prof. Wole Soyinka, Chief Anthony Enaharo, Dr. Amos Akingba and Gen. Alani Akinrinade.

The researcher added that Mr. Lewis Abiola had been released early in the legal proceedings and that Mr. Moshood Yahaya, Mr. Musa Okoiyaafa and Mr. Muhammed Sokere Lafiagi had been in jail since March 1995. The researcher stated that there might be slight differences in the names of the accused published by the media.

In a 9 February 1998 telephone interview, the Administrative Director of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) in Washington provided the same names as Africa Watch in London regarding the 16 people accused of treason of which 12 were arrested and still in detention in Nigeria, and four are safely living in exile in Britain and the United States.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Hugh Winsor, parliamentary reporter, The Globe and Mail, Ottawa. 9 February 1998. Telephone interview.

Africa Watch, London, U.K. 6 February 1998. Telephone interview with researcher.

National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), Washington. 9 February 1998. Telephone interview with Administrative Director.