The House of Representatives’ Committee on Diaspora Matters has formally requested the Canadian government to prosecute a Canada-based woman, Amaka Patience Sunnberger, for alleged hate speech and inciting violence against Nigerians.
The call followed a viral TikTok video in which Sunnberger threatened to poison certain categories of Nigerians residing in Canada.
The request for Sunnberger’s prosecution is detailed in a letter dated August 28, 2024, and jointly signed by the Chairman of the Committee Tochukwu Okere, and Chairman of the Nigeria-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group, Biodun Omoleye.
The letter, addressed to the Canada’s High Commissioner to Nigeria, James Christoff, expressed serious concern over Sunnberger’s inflammatory remarks, which have been perceived as a direct threat to the safety of Nigerians living in Canada.
In the controversial video, Sunnberger said, “Record me, it’s time to start poisoning the meals of the Yorubas and Benin people. Poison their food and drinks at work so they can begin to die one by one.”
This statement has been interpreted as a call for violence against specific ethnic groups within the Nigerian community in Canada.
Part of the letter reads, “Ms. Sunnberger has recently been recorded making inflammatory statements that incite violence against the Yoruba and Edo ethnic groups in Nigeria, including advocating for the poisoning of food and water supplies to achieve their mass genocide.”
The legislators pointed out that such incitement to violence is a violation of both international and Canadian laws prohibiting national, racial, or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility, or violence. “Such rhetoric is dangerous and has the potential to incite real-world violence, both in Nigeria and within the Nigerian diaspora,” the lawmakers warned.
They further emphasised that Sunnberger’s statements constitute a significant threat to the lives of Nigerians, both in Canada and potentially back home.
