Nana Akufo-Addo, president of Ghana, apologised to Nigeria after the destruction of a building inside the Nigerian High Commission compound in Accra. Mr Akufo-Addo has ordered an investigation, a Nigerian government statement said after his request to President Muhammadu Buhari. Armed men have allegedly raided the compound last week and demolished under construction buildings.
A few of those involved were detained. According to an article posted on the Nigerian High Commission website in Ghana, a businessman who had previously claimed that he owned the land where the building was being erected had led the demolition operation.
"The man turned up with some papers last week to support his assertion and started knocking down the fence surrounding the house," the article cites a source at the Foreign Affairs Ministry as saying.Nigeria's foreign minister Geoffrey Onyeama said that a bulldozer was used in the incident that demolished two residential buildings on 19 June.
He called the demolition "outrageous and criminal," and urged the authorities in Ghanaia to protect diplomatic buildings in Nigeria.On Monday Nigerians living in Ghana organized a protest opposing the demolition.
The foreign ministry of Ghana said it regretted the incident and assured that an investigation would be carried out, adding that security at the facility was "beefed up." However, former president of the country, John Mahama, condemned the destruction and criticized the government of his successor.
"It beats my understanding how such violent and noisy destruction might take place without our security agents picking up the signals to prevent the damage," tweeted Mr Mahama. Ghana and Nigeria are two of the biggest economies in West Africa, enjoying cordial international ties but having had their share of conflicts over the years.
Some Nigerian-owned businesses in Ghana were closed last year with some sources suggesting it was a retaliatory action after Nigerian authorities confiscated goods belonging to Ghanaian businessmen that were clamping down on the rice trafficking into the country.
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