Police officers were called to Uganda’s High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, after a heated confrontation broke out among diplomats and staff at the mission, according to videos and reports circulating online.
The incident, which occurred on Friday morning, reportedly involved senior officials at the embassy exchanging sharp words in the presence of Nigerian police officers who had been summoned to calm the situation.
According to reports published by the Daily Monitor and other media outlets, one of the officials involved was Mr Eriya Tusubira, the accounting officer at Uganda’s High Mission in Abuja.
Videos seen online showed a visibly angry staff member confronting Tusubira and questioning his conduct at the mission.
“How did you become an ambassador? Go home and they promote you,” the staff member was heard shouting in one of the videos.
Tusubira reportedly defended himself during the confrontation, saying he had called police because of what he described as threats of violence against him.
The latest incident adds to ongoing tensions and internal disputes that have plagued Uganda’s diplomatic mission in Nigeria over the past two years.
Previous reports linked the mission to allegations of financial impropriety, delayed staff salaries, and disputes over the construction of Uganda’s chancery building in Abuja.
In a 2024 investigative report, Daily Monitor reported that Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had recalled senior officials from the Abuja mission following allegations of money laundering and embezzlement linked to embassy operations.
The reports indicated that investigations involved Uganda’s Inspectorate of Government and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit.
The Ugandan mission in Abuja is one of the country’s key diplomatic posts in West Africa and oversees relations with several member states of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
By press time, Uganda’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not yet issued an official statement regarding the latest altercation at the embassy.