Calls to prosecute Canada-based woman over Yoruba, Edo death threats stir controversy

The call by some Nigerians urging the Canadian government to prosecute Canada-based Nigerian woman, Amaka Patience Sunnberger, for inciting violence and genocide against Yoruba and Benin people has continued to generate reactions.

Sunnberger sparked outrage after a viral video she posted on her TikTok account showed her stating that she would harm Yoruba and Edo people.

“Record me very well; it’s time to start poisoning the Yoruba and the Benin. Put poison for all una food for work. Put poison for una water, make una dey kpai one by one,” the woman said in Pidgin English.

It appeared she made the comment during a virtual meeting on TikTok. Other voices could be heard interjecting and prodding her. The woman claimed that her comment was in response to the “hate” against the Igbo.

Following Sunnberger’s controversial remarks, some Nigerians urged the Canadian government to prosecute her for inciting violence and genocide.

Abike Dabiri, the chairperson of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, disclosed on Wednesday that a group of Nigerians in Canada were reporting the woman to the Canadian authorities.

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, in its reaction, also said there was no sufficient evidence that the woman was Igbo, adding that she did not in any way portray the Igbo character of thoughtfulness, discretion, self-censure, and equanimity.

Lawmakers in the House of Representatives committee on diaspora matters further asked the Canadian government to prosecute Amaka for hate speech.

In a letter dated August 28, jointly signed by Tochukwu Okere, chairman of the committee, and Biodun Omoleye, chairman of the Nigeria-Canada Parliamentary Friendship Group, addressed to James Christoff, Canada’s high commissioner to Nigeria, the lawmakers said Sunnberger’s comments “are a direct threat to the lives and safety of millions of Nigerians.”

According to the lawmakers, the “incitement to violence and call for genocide through poisoning” are “deeply troubling and are a clear violation of international and Canadian laws such as 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 said.

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, also condemned the threat, describing the comments as divisive and saying that such behaviour has no place in society.

The former Governor of Anambra State called on Nigerians to unite and focus on addressing the nation’s challenges rather than allowing tribalism to divide them.

Though there are indications that an investigation into the matter by the Toronto Police Service has commenced, some netizens, particularly from the Igbo community, have argued that Canada should not bother prosecuting her.

They point to instances where persons have made similar threats against Igbos, yet no action was taken.

Some have referenced the recent ‘Igbo must go’ campaign by a group, Lagospedia, which gave Igbos 30 days to leave Lagos and the entire South-West region with their businesses.

A 2019 video of the Wife of the President, Remi Tinubu, where she boasted that the deities of Lagos would be summoned to drive out the Igbos is also being circulated.

For instance, in his reaction, a Finland-based Biafra agitator said his organisation, Biafra Government in Exile (BRGIE), has officially written to the Canadian Government in defense of Sunnberger amid calls for her prosecution over the threat to harm Yoruba and Bini people.

This was contained in a letter signed by the Director General of the Biafra Ministry of Foreign Affairs, BRGIE, Dr. Joy Robi, addressed to the Mayor of Brampton, Canada.

Recall that in response to Sunnberger’s comments, the Nigerian government, through the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, chaired by Abike Dabiri-Erewa, on Thursday petitioned the Mayor of Brampton to prosecute Sunnberger over her threatening comment.

However, Irobi, in a three-page letter to the Canadian Government on Friday, expressed concern over the inaccuracies and potential misunderstandings claimed by NiDCOM regarding Sunnberger.

The letter highlighted several alleged violent remarks by individuals within the Nigerian government against the Igbos, which did not elicit calls for prosecution by the government.

“We provide below a counter argument with evidence of how the Nigerian government that NiDCOM is representing has incited video violence and killings of Indigenous people in Nigeria, which resulted in many people fleeing out of Nigeria to preserve their lives.

“Bayo Onanuga: I owe no-one an apology for ethnic slur against the Biafran Igbos; they are a threat to Yorubas,” the letter cited, referencing President Bola Tinubu’s Media Aide’s Onanuga’s comment in July 2024 as allegedly inciting violence.

“Information reaching us reveals that Amaka Patience Sunnberger was traumatised by the attempted kidnap of her child in Canada by two individuals. NiDCOM is informed that the police have taken over the matter. Of note, Igbos living in Nigeria and abroad are suffering intensely under the incessant life threat against the Igbo race. This mental abuse has been ignored due to fear of being killed.”

“NIDCOM’s Chair is from a privileged Nigerian tribe with the positive attention her tribe is enjoying but ignores the intense mental suffering being mated on the Biafra people from the great Igbo race.

“Notably, Mrs. Amaka Patience Sunnberger, due to the mental suffering certain tribes in Nigeria have meted on her family, may have angrily misspoken due to her pain, but that is not enough for NIDCOM to be advocating for Amaka Patience Sunnberger to lose her occupation.

“In conclusion, I firmly believe that the claims made against Sunnberger are unfounded and do not reflect her true character and contributions when you examine the painful and mental suffering Biafrans in Nigeria are going through daily.

“I respectfully request that you ignore the NiDOM claims in light of the evidence provided and allow her to continue to contribute positively to your community in Canada.”