The three members of the House of Representatives who were accused of sexually harassing some hotel waitresses and soliciting for sex in United States of America last year have filed $1billion suit against the US government.
The Representatives members were exonerated of sexual misconduct allegations leveled against them by the United States Embassy in Nigeria.
Their lawyers filed the suit in the US while the plaintiffs will continue to reach them through electronic means from Nigeria, since they are barred for now from entering the US.
The affected lawmakers are House Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Petroleum Resources ( Upstream ), Terse Mark-Gbillah of All Progressives Congress (APC) from Benue; Samuel Ikon of the Peoples Democratic Party, Akwa Ibom and Mohammed Garba-Gololo of the APC from Bauchi State.
A former US ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle had alleged that the three honourable members failed to comport themselves during a visit to the US last year April, prompting the Nigerian legislature to call for an investigation.
In October 2016, the House exonerated the members after a report by its Joint Committees on Ethics/Privileges and Foreign Relations, found no wrongdoing on their part.
Mark -Gbillah, who spoke for the accused lawmakers, told the Punch that the lawyers had been identified and that efforts were on to finalise consultations on the suit.
He added that the lawmakers’ US visas revoked in the wake of the allegations were yet to be restored.
Mark -Gbillah said: “We have identified lawyers willing to take the case and are currently planning for the required funds to initiate the action.
“We will communicate with our lawyers via other media for now , but we can be granted entry by the court if we are required to appear in person . We won’t be willing to disclose the costs at this time.” [myad]
