Canadian Court Reopens Asylum Case of Nigerian Engineer Over Ogboni Threat Claims

A Canadian Federal Court has ordered a fresh review of an asylum case involving a Nigerian electrical engineer who said he fled his country after refusing to join the Ogboni fraternity, citing serious flaws in how his claims were previously assessed.

Justice Alan Favel, sitting in Ottawa, ruled that the Refugee Appeal Division (RAD) failed to properly evaluate evidence about the reach and influence of the Ogboni fraternity when it dismissed the asylum application of Michael Moshood Ogunwola.

Ogunwola, 53, told Canadian authorities that he left Nigeria after persistent pressure from his father and members of the Ogboni fraternity to fulfill what they described as a family covenant requiring him, as the first son, to join the secretive group. He said his refusal placed his life at risk.

According to court records, Ogunwola worked as an electrical engineer with a telecommunications firm in Nigeria before relocating abroad. He claimed that while on a job in Aba in 2013, he overheard discussions suggesting he was being sought by members of the fraternity. After returning home, he found his father ill and reliant on traditional healers, practices Ogunwola said conflicted with his Christian beliefs.

He alleged that tensions escalated after his half-sister, who assisted with traditional rites he declined to perform, died days later. Ogunwola said this development intensified pressure from the fraternity, which allegedly demanded that his father produce him for initiation.

The engineer further claimed he was tracked and attacked twice within a short period, prompting him to flee Nigeria. He said continued harassment followed him to the United States, forcing him to abandon phone lines and relocate again. After a failed marriage-based immigration attempt in the U.S., he sought refuge in Canada.

Canadian refugee authorities initially rejected his application, arguing that he could safely relocate within Nigeria, including to Abuja. The Refugee Appeal Division upheld that decision in 2023, concluding that the Ogboni fraternity lacked the capacity to pursue him nationwide.

Justice Favel disagreed. In his ruling, he cited Nigeria-focused country documentation describing the fraternity as highly secretive and influential, with members drawn from elite circles in politics, government, and the judiciary. The judge noted that such evidence contradicted the RAD’s assumption that the group’s influence was limited or declining.

The court also faulted the RAD for failing to consider whether the fraternity could operate covertly across different regions of Nigeria, including areas deemed safe for internal relocation.

As a result, the judge set aside the earlier decision and ordered that Ogunwola’s case be reconsidered by a newly constituted panel of the Refugee Appeal Division.

“The application for judicial review is granted,” Justice Favel ruled, directing that the asylum claim be reassessed in line with the full scope of available evidence.