PRESIDENT Umaru Yar’Adua has expressed regret that the promise of independence is yet to be fully realised 49 years after. In his broadcast to the nation, the president said “today should be a forceful reminder of the promise yet to be fulfilled, of the dream deferred for too long, and of the work that is still outstanding.”

The president, in the address, stated: “I will submit that the necessary work of repositioning Nigeria has commenced apace, and the overarching task should be how to remain focused on the twin challenges of enthroning democracy and achieving sustainable development.

“Fellow Nigerians, on this day and in the spirit of rededication, we renew our commitment to confronting the challenges of critical infrastructure, the Niger Delta, food security, security of lives and property, human capital development, land tenure and wealth creation.

“We remain confident that with the massive investments we have made in the last two years in the expansion and strengthening of our generation, transmission and distribution capacities and capabilities, we shall succeed in our commitment to provide stable electricity on a sustainable basis and the attainment of our goal of generating 6000 mega watts by December 2009.

“We equally remain committed to providing Nigeria an effective and efficient intermodal transportation system. With such a network, movement of goods and services around our vast country would become faster, more efficient, and better able to support the realization of the great potentials which abound in our economy. A major testimony of our drive to expand and link our transportation system is the commencement of the dredging of the lower River Niger, forty three years after the idea was first mooted. This project covers 572 km across eight States, and, when completed, it will ensure all-year round navigation of the lower River Niger. In addition, we are fast-tracking the delivery of railway projects with the expected supply of new and refurbished locomotives by January next year in anticipation of successful rehabilitation and completion of existing and new rail tracks.

“We have also taken steps to increase the tempo of the implementation of the zonal road intervention programme which is handling, amongst others, the thirty four road projects going on simultaneously around the country.

This is coupled with the revitalization of the real sector of the economy especially agriculture through value chain infrastructure development which has commenced in earnest.

“Fellow Nigerians, the Niger Delta has, over the years, posed major developmental and environmental challenges to our nation which have adversely affected our national economy. The new Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, in concert with the NDDC, is charting a meaningful cause in reversing the infrastructure and development deficit as a demonstration of our commitment to the holistic resolution of the crisis in the area.

“In consolidating the gains of these initiatives, and with a view to engendering lasting peace in the area, we proclaimed a general amnesty and granted unconditional pardon to all those who had taken up arms as a way of drawing attention to the plight of the people of the Niger Delta. Some remarkable progress has been made and it is our hope that all militants would avail themselves of this amnesty which expires on Sunday, 4 October 2009.

“Fellow Nigerians, the last twelve months have been particularly tumultuous in the global economy and our nation could not have been immune to the impact. However the reform programmes we embarked upon helped to mitigate the adverse consequences. In spite of the dip in oil prices and the challenges of the Niger Delta, the level of our external reserves has remained high and net outflow significantly moderated. In the last quarter of 2008, the Naira suffered a very sharp depreciation which continued into the early part of this year. Normalcy has now been restored with the convergence in rates in our foreign exchange markets. Similarly, headline inflation has declined steadily from 15% at the end of 2008 to 11% at the end of August 2009.

“The recent reforms embarked upon by the Central Bank of Nigeria are part of the holistic measures aimed ultimately at ensuring requisite macroeconomic stability. The goal is to have banks and financial institutions that can be effective partners with Government in delivering economic growth. By enforcing full disclosure, entrenching sound corporate governance and risk management principles, Nigeria would be on the way to entrenching a financial system that inspires the confidence of the international community.

“As the world begins to recover from the global recession, we are increasingly encouraged by the emerging signs of recovery in our national economy. Our real GDP growth is projected at 5% in 2009 and non-oil GDP growth is expected to remain robust at 6.3%. Furthermore, the recovery of crude oil prices and improved oil and gas output are expected to enhance our national fiscal and foreign exchange balances.

“Fellow Nigerians, our Administration places the highest possible premium on education and human capital development. I would, at this point, like to register the Federal Government’s grave concern over the continuing strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Concerted efforts are being exerted to ensure the resolution of the issues so as to allow our children return to the campuses to resume their studies. “My fellow country men and women, our nation is today faced with a number of daunting challenges. However, in the face of all these challenges, our resolve and abiding faith must remain unshaken.

We must see today’s challenges as veritable opportunities waiting to be translated into stepping stones to an assured destiny of peace, progress, and prosperity for our common posterity. I wish you a happy 49th independence Anniversary. “May God continue to bless Nigeria.”

Sunny Okosun - Revolution

Saudi King Writes Yar’adua’s Nigeria At 49

Prince Charles Dickson
Written by Prince Charles Dickson
Wednesday, 30 September 2009 11:36

Saudi King Writes Yar’adua’s Nigeria At 49

By Prince Charles Dickson, Minna

In the name of God, the Beneficent and Merciful.

Your Excellency, the President of Nigeria.

Peace and the mercy and blessings of God be with you.

Dear Umoru Yar’adua

First congratulations on your nation’s 49th Independence Day Celebrations, I am writing you this letter on behalf of the loving people of Saudi Arabia and myself.

I need not emphasis to you the place of theKingdom of Saudi Arabia, not just on you as a person but the fact that we represent the ground for billions of faithful and peace-seeking Muslims.

The next few lines I pen to you would be painful—the reason being that it is the truth and I dare say, you and I know that the truth hurts. I have been told and warned by my kinsmen that I am not saying anything new but I will still say it.

Let me start with your recent visit to my domain. Your countrymen are sickened and cannot fathom the reason why you would abandon the UN General Assembly for the second time just to come for a University commissioning.

As it regards that I will skip for now. Do you know reasons why you were welcomed by a governor…well let us leave that to local gossip?

Your absence is sad because it is one of the many reasons that you and your countrymen and women are not taken serious. If you recall early in the year you had complained to them and the world that it was unfortunate that the world did not reckon with you and your nation during the G-8 summit in London.

Here was an opportunity to try and remedy the serious image problems you have with other nations by confronting their leaders face to face. This I think you missed…and your citizens I believe feel same.

You told me that you minister for foreign affairs would handle the UN but I disagree with you. The minister I am told flew to the US from Brazil where he had gone for negotiations on how the nation can achieve the 6,000MW power generation by December.

It is sad that at 49 years and with a population of approximately 150milliion you are still battling with generating a mere 6,000 MGW. I gathered that no part of Nigeria has a one-hour uninterrupted power supply for a seven-day week.

Since your assumption of office you have been on hijra to my domain on three occasions and this excludes the hajj you have come to perform. Can’t recall when we suffered apower outage last.

One of your revered writers a certain Wole Soyinka's said that "the man (Yar'Adua) is on permanent sabbatical". "… A permanent sabbatical from critical national duty,”.

This I see as an insult because no one in my domain dares insinuate that of me. Your nation is adrift and all is not well and citizenry do not see any concerted effort at solving these issues.

You came to commission a university, and mysteriously some 90 public universities are shut down in your country. Most of your states are battling with primary school teachers’ strike.

At 49 years you do not have a University in the top 1000 Universities listing, none of your public schools can be certified as first class. And I hear that most of your lieutenants are products of these schools that you and past governments have allowed to decay.

On your other visits, you have been treated and attended to by some of the best the medical field has to offer in my domain, and each time I wonder to myself…why can you not build such in your country.

Do you think if I was sick I would come to Nigeria for healthcare.. .? (subhannallah) Allah forbid that much you know.

I am told that nothing works in your land and despite all the opportunities. You have continued to remain a nation of misplaced priorities and dashed hopes.

The Kingdom of Saudi is faced with its own troubles which are peculiar to us and some problems which you are familiar with. However we continue to tackle them. But I gathered that you are massaging your issues rather than deal with them headlong.

In my domain we deal with corruption too, but be rest assured that our tolerance level is low. We do not hesitate to cut with sword the erring part, hand, eye, or ‘that part of the body’. This results in serioushuman rights questions but we do not murder or assassinate journalists or opposition people either.

Many people I have spoken to from your land say they had hope in you, but that after just two years…they called you go-slow, later it was snail, now they have resigned themselves to fate.

I have my integrity and that of my people to protect; besides it is not in my place to say, yet I will ask. What is the place of your wife in government …is she a feminist, is she the only wife you have? I have no problem with all these but if she is indeed the de-facto president…then there is a problem?

On a scale of preference we have long shifted our attention to the likes ofSouth Africa, Ghana, and Egypt and recently tiny nations like Namibia,Mozambique are not left out.

I do not envy the enormous problems you face but I am saddened that you have not solved any. You have not improved on a faulty electoral system that brought you to power.

Your banking sector we hear just underwent partial oncology but the real cancer is still there.

Some of your elites now build helipads and move around in helicopters in cities like Port Harcourt, Onitsha to avoid kidnap and your roads remain hellish and all we hear is that the Federal and state governments are perpetually engaged on whether it’s a federal or a state road while people die on these roads.

You have at 49 years some of the best brains in various fields but you have not been able to harness their potentials.

There are several policy somersaults by various functionaries of your government and these paints you in bad light. You rule of law mantra has been questioned by the lawlessness of those underneath you and then people find out you are in the know.

Your citizens are suffering loss of appetite, fatigue and memory slip at what best government practices are. Infact I am told that citizens rejoice when government officials do what they are supposed to do because the reverse is the case.

I am even told that there is a phrase used…’the man stole but he worked too’.

Even in hitherto familiar terrain like soccer I hate to say that soon boys from my kingdom will beat your team whether super eagles or gentle doves. I gathered you never plan for anything in your nation anymore and the inevitable happens…you all fail.

I have not proffered any solution to you in this Independence letter, so also have I left out many other issues and my reason is that I do not intend to insult you but awaken you. You have the manpower, the resources. You can if you want to, my fear is, a doubt that you and your people wan to.

Leaders in the past have refused to take counsel and have never bothered about any legacies, I do not know if you want to be any different or will be different. I do not know if you will read this or an aide will browse through it as usual.

Bisalam

King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz

NB

As at press time it could not be ascertained if indeed the 85 year old royal father wrote this letter, but the contents are very correct. And our sources say that the Villa is not taking it lightly

http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/prince-charles-dickson/saudi-king-writes-yaraduas-nigeria-at-49.html

Injury Time Looting Frenzy. Leave With The Last Penny.. FG probes looting by outgoing perm secs, directors.

REPORTS reaching the Federal Government have indicated that many of the outgoing permanent secretaries and directors have resorted to looting their respective offices ahead of their retirement effective January 2010.

Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune indicated that the government has consequently ordered discreet security reports on each of the ministries where some unwholesome activities are said to be taking place.

A source said that some of the retiring officials were insisting that the recurrent budget of the ministries and agencies must be exhausted before they left office and had also taken the decisions to backdate some approvals so as to pave the way for the convenient spending of the appropriated funds.Men of the State Security Service(SSS) were said to have been instructed to monitor specific ministries to enable the government to track unwholesome developments.

Though the officials are to retire effectively in January 2010, the government has insisted on the implementation of a 2001 circular, which mandates retiring officers to embark on a three month pre-retirement leave.

The officials are expected to complete their retirement issues and documentation during the period. While many of the officials are expecting to leave at the end of October, sources said that the government got wind of plans by some of the retiring officials to finish the fourth quarter allocations to the ministries and agencies before their departure.

Sources in government said mindless looting had started in some ministries, while others had only prepared the papers, pending the release of the last quarter allocation for the year.

As a result of that disclosure, the government is said to be insisting on the departure of the officials from October 2, 2009, while all their entitlements are to be paid till January 2010.

“The government will not be violating any laws if they are paid off by October, but they are expected to proceed on the mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave,” a source said, adding that the government would be saving the nation billions through that decision.

The 2001 circular which is being strictly implemented was signed by the then Permanent Secretary (Establishments and Pensions) Dr. Aboki Zahwa, on behalf of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation

The circular with with reference number: B.63216/S.1/X/T: CIR.1/2001/5, dated March 20th, 2001, mandates all retiring public officers to embark on pre-retirement leave, three months before the effective date of retirement. The three months are, however, to count as periods of service and the official will be paid for that period.

The circular, by Dr. Aboki Zahwa reads: “It has been observed that the mandatory notice of retirement for officers who are to retire on thirty-five (35) years of service or sixty (60) years of age has created some difficulties.

“The tendency is for the officers to continue to work until their last day in office. As a result of this, retiring officers hardly have time for themselves to put their records together. This situation has led to avoidable delays in processing officers’ retirement benefits due to paucity of up-to-date records.

“Henceforth, officers are required to give three months notice to retire from service. At the commencement of the period of three months, officers should proceed immediately on the mandatory one-month workshop/seminar. For the remaining two months, retiring officers are expected to take necessary measures to put their records straight so as to facilitate the speedy processing of their retirement benefits.

“For avoidance of doubt, the period of three months’ notice is a period of service. Officers’ salaries and emoluments will continue to run until the last day of the three months’ notice. The circular takes effect from 1st April, 2001 and also supersedes relevant provisions in my earlier Circular Ref. B.63216/S.1/X of 20th August, 1999.”

The Head of Service of the Federation, Mr. Steve Oronsanye, had come under criticisms for the implementation of the new government policy which mandates permanent secretaries and directors to stay on only for a maximum period of eight years.

This has led to the decision to retire some 140 permanent secretaries and directors in the Federal Civil Service while a similar number will leave the agencies and parastatal agencies.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/28092009/news/news3.html

Injury Time Looting Frenzy. Leave With The Last Penny.

REPORTS reaching the Federal Government have indicated that many of the outgoing permanent secretaries and directors have resorted to looting their respective offices ahead of their retirement effective January 2010.

Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune indicated that the government has consequently ordered discreet security reports on each of the ministries where some unwholesome activities are said to be taking place.

A source said that some of the retiring officials were insisting that the recurrent budget of the ministries and agencies must be exhausted before they left office and had also taken the decisions to backdate some approvals so as to pave the way for the convenient spending of the appropriated funds.Men of the State Security Service(SSS) were said to have been instructed to monitor specific ministries to enable the government to track unwholesome developments.

Though the officials are to retire effectively in January 2010, the government has insisted on the implementation of a 2001 circular, which mandates retiring officers to embark on a three month pre-retirement leave.

The officials are expected to complete their retirement issues and documentation during the period. While many of the officials are expecting to leave at the end of October, sources said that the government got wind of plans by some of the retiring officials to finish the fourth quarter allocations to the ministries and agencies before their departure.

Sources in government said mindless looting had started in some ministries, while others had only prepared the papers, pending the release of the last quarter allocation for the year.

As a result of that disclosure, the government is said to be insisting on the departure of the officials from October 2, 2009, while all their entitlements are to be paid till January 2010.

“The government will not be violating any laws if they are paid off by October, but they are expected to proceed on the mandatory three-month pre-retirement leave,” a source said, adding that the government would be saving the nation billions through that decision.

The 2001 circular which is being strictly implemented was signed by the then Permanent Secretary (Establishments and Pensions) Dr. Aboki Zahwa, on behalf of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation

The circular with with reference number: B.63216/S.1/X/T: CIR.1/2001/5, dated March 20th, 2001, mandates all retiring public officers to embark on pre-retirement leave, three months before the effective date of retirement. The three months are, however, to count as periods of service and the official will be paid for that period.

The circular, by Dr. Aboki Zahwa reads: “It has been observed that the mandatory notice of retirement for officers who are to retire on thirty-five (35) years of service or sixty (60) years of age has created some difficulties.

“The tendency is for the officers to continue to work until their last day in office. As a result of this, retiring officers hardly have time for themselves to put their records together. This situation has led to avoidable delays in processing officers’ retirement benefits due to paucity of up-to-date records.

“Henceforth, officers are required to give three months notice to retire from service. At the commencement of the period of three months, officers should proceed immediately on the mandatory one-month workshop/seminar. For the remaining two months, retiring officers are expected to take necessary measures to put their records straight so as to facilitate the speedy processing of their retirement benefits.

“For avoidance of doubt, the period of three months’ notice is a period of service. Officers’ salaries and emoluments will continue to run until the last day of the three months’ notice. The circular takes effect from 1st April, 2001 and also supersedes relevant provisions in my earlier Circular Ref. B.63216/S.1/X of 20th August, 1999.”

The Head of Service of the Federation, Mr. Steve Oronsanye, had come under criticisms for the implementation of the new government policy which mandates permanent secretaries and directors to stay on only for a maximum period of eight years.

This has led to the decision to retire some 140 permanent secretaries and directors in the Federal Civil Service while a similar number will leave the agencies and parastatal agencies.

Disappearing Giant: Nigeria a non-factor at today’s UN Food Summit

Nigeria was again this afternoon a non-factor at the United Nations Headquarters in New York as Member States held a High-Level Summit to discuss world food security.

“There is more than enough food in the world,” United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in his opening statement, “Yet today, more than one billion people are hungry.”

He warned, “This is unacceptable.”

The discussion was led by the Secretary General and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. It involved high-level international stakeholders, including Heads of State.

While Member States were heading to the United Nations Trusteeship Council for the Summit, which was billed for 4 p.m. local time, Nigeria’s sick and troubled leader, Umaru Yar’Adua, was returning to Abuja from an “official visit” to Saudi Arabia that Saharareporters has exposed as a medical trip.
Nigeria has been conspicuously missing in the most important multilateral events during Yar’Adua’s tour of duty as national “leader.” Earlier this week, Nigeria was a mere observer at the big United Nations Summit on Climate Change, which was held before the start of the 64th General Assembly general debate. To make for a more interactive discussion during the Summit, the UN Secretary General invited all Heads of State and Government to send in pre-recorded video statements to be posted on the UN website and on Youtube. Yar’Adua sent no video statement, and did not show up.

It would be recalled that earlier this week, Nigeria missed the High Level Summit on Climate Change.

Similarly, last September, Nigeria similarly missed critical UN Summits. That includes the High Level Meeting on Africa’s Development Needs which discussed: “Africa’s development needs: state of implementation of various commitments, challenges and the way forward,” and the High Level meeting on the Millennium Development Goals. They were held on the 22nd and 25th of September 2008.

Today’s summit on food security followed the July G8 Summit in Italy where 26 countries and several international organizations agreed on comprehensive and coordinated support to country-led food security strategies, and pledged $20 billion to that effort.

This afternoon, Summit participants, who were expected from about 100 interested countries, hoped to work to take the initiative further and nail down implementation strategies. That Nigeria did not participate at the required level tells a lot about the attitude of its leadership.

Global food concerns continue to stir the conscience of the international community. On January 27, in Madrid, at the High-Level Meeting on “Food Security for All,” Mr. Ban observed that in 2008, food prices rose so high that basic rations were beyond the reach of millions of people.

“By the end of the year, the total number of hungry people in our world approached an intolerable 1 billion,” he told that meeting. “The statistics are startling, but the stories of each household affected by hunger, and each malnourished child, are truly appalling.”

He noted that the images of hunger never cease to disturb him: “Parents cutting down on the food they eat to ensure their children have enough. Households selling their animals, land or even homes to buy food. Mothers struggling each day to protect their children from the physical and mental scars of malnutrition.”

Mr. Ban stressed: “World poverty cannot be reduced without improvements in agriculture and food systems. Most poor people are farmers. Most farm work is done by women. And those efforts contribute significantly to the domestic product of poor countries.”

Describing continuing hunger as “a deep stain on our world,” he said farmers could produce more food if had help with credit, seeds, fertilizers and land security.

And he laid down the challenge concerning hunger: “The time has come to remove it -- forever. We have the wealth and know-how to do so. Let us do our utmost to keep hunger at the centre of the political lens. History will judge us on our response.”

Uncaring and seemingly unconcerned about these important issues, Nigeria consistently moves its political lens elsewhere. Among them: while Nigeria universities are closed, Yar’Adua justified his visit to Saudi Arabia with the excuse he would attend the opening of a university there. The president’s party is busy in Anambra State, where some of the nation’s worst thieves are queuing up for next year’s governorship tussle race.
Foreign Minister Ojo Maduekwe is representing Nigeria at the 64th session of the United Nations General Assembly. He will speak towards the end of the general debate next week.

Next year, the UN will host a special summit to discuss the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, with only five years left for implementation. Yar’Adua has a confused policy on the subject; last April he said Nigeria will not meet the development targets by 2010, but a few weeks ago, a government official coordinating the MDGs said Nigeria would need four trillion Naira per year between now and that date to implement the strategy.

It is not known if Yar’Adua will show some bravado and attend next year’s MDGs summit, or quietly avoid it as his People’s Democratic Party hunts for funds with which to manipulate the 2011 general elections.

http://www.saharareporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3808:disappearing-giant-nigeria-a-non-factor-at-todays-un-food-summit&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18

Buying Off The Newspaper Man.

When the trial of three of James Ibori’s female associates commenced in London on Monday, the thieving former governor of Delta State had thought he would exercise control over its coverage. As soon as his associates were docked before his honor, Judge Christopher Hardy, their lawyers launched a massive effort to obtain a media ban.

They experienced limited success when the judge agreed to ban the UK media from covering the trial until at least January 2010 when a second set of trials involving his first wife, Theresa Nkoyo, and his lawyer Bhadresh Gohil, would commence.

It was Ibori’s calculation that with the British media out of the way, he could seize control of the Nigerian media using a sizeable bribe budget and deploy his propaganda over Nigerians. In anticipation of the trial, Ibori had set up a website to counter Saharareporters with two former journalists: Tony Eluemunor and Sunday Are, leading a core of staff “writers.” They had also set up an “anti-bloggers” unit to sneak into and control Internet chat-rooms and social networking websites such as Facebook and Naijapolitics.

To take a large chunk of the Nigerian print media, Ibori had directed the Delta State government to buy a huge dome from Nigerian media wheeler-dealer, Nduka Obaigbena of ThisDay, an arrangement he had initially opposed because he does not trust Obaigbena. The transaction was concluded before the trial commenced. When Saharareporters spoke to the Delta State Commissioner of Information, Omah Djebah, about the transaction, he told our reporter that Delta needed the “ThisDay Dome” to host the upcoming “Governors Forum”. Obaigbena was having problems keeping the Dome on a Lagos state property he illegally acquired at Lekki, as the current Lagos State governor refused to let him continue his regular jamborees at the venue. The Delta State government did not disclose how much it paid for the Dome.

ThisDay commenced the payback last week when the paper began a sloppy reporting of the recent V-Mobile scam involving Yar’Adua’s Principal Private Secretary, David Edevbie. The paper claimed that Mr. Edevbie was not declared wanted by the London Metropolitan police saying they had spoken to an officer over the phone. It further claimed that Edevbie was planning to “resign” and to visit the UK to clear his name, but when Saharareporters countered with proof of the Edevbie’s involvement, the paper offered another ruse the following day claiming that Edevbie was not on “trial,” in the UK, although it published the charge sheet which listed Edevbie in the first. Edevbie, to our knowledge, has not honoured his resignation boast.

By yesterday, ThisDay continued on the mission by regurgitating a report personally written by Ibori’s media aide, Tony Elumenor, regarding Day 2 of the trial, the web version of the story did not carry a byline. Also, the Vanguard newspaper shamelessly repeated Tony Eluemunor’s report. With ThisDay out of his way, Ibori needed not worry about The Guardian newspaper, whose family owners (The Ibrus) are entangled in the same predicament with Ibori in the toxic bank loans scams. Other newspapers, with the exception of The Punch, 234NEXT and Leadership, are being taken care of by a special budget for that purpose created by Ibori.

Things have not turned out as planned for Ibori as Facebook and Saharareporters have become choice destinations for those seeking the latest information on the trials. A photo of Ibori’s sister, Christie and his mistress, Udoamaka Onuigbo, taken as they left the courtroom on Monday, has shocked the Ibori’s team. Observers noted that his wife, Nkoyo, whose court dates begin in January 2010, was not in court to support her sister-in-law or her husband’s mistress.

http://www.saharareporter.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3777:london-money-laundering-trial-ibori-launches-propaganda-offensive-to-keep-nigerians-misinformed&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18

AGF Aondoakaa vows to take down presidential Economic Adviser, Yakubu Tanimu Kufi And spill The Beans.

The embattled Attorney General of the Federation, Michael Aondoakaa, has fingered the Chief Economic Adviser to Umaru Yar'Adua, Tanimu Kufi, as being after him. Saharareporters has disclosed that Aondoakaa confronted Yar'Adua to say that he would be forced to reveal everything he did to help Yar'Adua retain his presidency in the Court of Appeal.

Yesterday, Aondoakaa issued an unusual press statement in which he claimed that some people in the corridors of power are after him, and are creating disaffection between him and Yar'Adua.



Saharareporters can reveal that the person he was referring to is Tanimu Kurfi, who has waged a war against Aondoakaa in recent weeks.

But Aondoakaa does not see himself going down without a fight. He has already told confidants that Tanimu has made more money for himself in the Yar'adua regime than anyone alive. He has told them that the economic adviser has made up $500 million from deals that he helped broker for him as the Attorney General. According to one source, Aondoakaa listed such deals as the reversal of Obasanjo era projects using his office as the AGF to give guided legal advice to Yar'adua.

Others include the General Electric turbines and the Railway projects, which were earlier cancelled by the Yar'Adua regime but eventually taken over by the economic adviser.

The last straw for Aondoakaa seems to be the list of 11 ministers that Yar’Adua was said to be interested in dropping before he hurriedly left for Saudi Arabia on a fresh medical trip that his aides have disguised as a "working visit.

"

Finding himself on the way out to a hostile nation that is aware of his corruption, Aondoakaa is said to have taken stock of the source of his troubles. Should they remove him from the coveted position of AGF, he vowed to take down Tanimu as well as reveal the dirty inner secrets of the Yar'Adua regime. The controversial AG said that although he has made some money himself running errands for Tanimu, on whose behalf he got Nuhu Ribadu of the EFCC removed, demoted and dismissed from the police, Tanimu had made far more money. 

He also blamed Tanimu for the press release by the EFCC’s Mrs. Waziri which denounced his action on Ibori. He believes the statement was drafted and authorized by Tanimu.

Yesterday's press statement would be the third one Aondoakaa would be issuing in the five days since he fled the UK with his tail between his legs following an unprecedented phone assault by Nigerian protesters who jammed the switchboard of his Marriott Hotel at Heathrow Airport with angry calls.

http://www.saharareporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3776:under-attack-agf-aondoakaa-vows-to-take-down-presidential-economic-adviser-yakubu-tanimu-kufi&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=18

Nigeria under siege.

The headlines are scary: Robbers arrested in Bauchi Mosque; Robbers attack Bishop, cart away valuables; South-East under siege: Robbers, kidnappers on the rampage; Robbers unleash mayhem in Nsukka, Awka; How Kidnappers Operate in Imo State. Not since the Civil War

(1967-70) has the South-East been this besieged from all fronts. Although, the situation seems to cut across the six geo-political zones, it is particularly endemic in the South-East where robbers and kidnappers are making life extremely difficult for the residents. Not only that, the hoodlums have grown more reckless as they are dangerous, having regard neither for the sacred nor reverence for anything, according to this report:

Robbers arrested in Bauchi Mosque

BAUCHI – THE Bauchi State Police Command has arrested men that specialize in stealing handsets and motorcycles in mosque.

Parading the suspects before newsmen, Bauchi State Commissioner for Police, Atiku Yusuf Kafur said that the three suspects, Nuru Shuaibu, Nuhu Isa and Sambo Wudil, were arrested while committing the offence at a mosque behind Government House at about 0300 hours by policemen on patrol.

He noted that the suspects usually pretend to go and pray while surveying the area, only for them to turn around and steal people’s handsets and motorcycles.

He explained that upon concluding investigation, the three accused persons would be charged to court to face the charges leveled against them.

He warned those engaged in such act to desist from it as his command is ready to apprehend such criminals.

Robbers attack Bishop, cart away valuables

OSOGBO — dare devil robbers have invaded the residence of the Bishop of Osogbo Diocese of the Methodist Church and carted away valuables and items worth several millions. Three of the robbers were said to have entered the house by disguising as normal visitors and requested to see the Bishop, Rt. Rev. John Adeleke Bamigboye.

The Bishop, who was in the sitting room with his son, Ife, answered them that he was the one, while the men of the underworld immediately slapped the Bishop’s son and told the Bishop that they were sent to kill him but that they would not kill him because of one or two reasons, which they failed to disclosed.

According to one of the priests of the church, Rev Zacheous Orojo, the next thing the robbers did was to take the Bishop and his son into one of the rooms inside the house and tied their hands and legs with ropes.

The robbers immediately went to the kitchen where the Bishop’s wife was preparing food and ordered her to take them to where they kept money in the house.

Orojo revealed that: “When the robbers got to the kitchen, they ordered mummy to take them to where they use to keep money in the house and took the whole money in the house which was about N110, 000.

“They also went away with all the religious books and the official Crosse of the Bishop. After that, the robbers then requested for all the car keys and went away with the official car of the Bishop (Nissan Murano Jeep), along with other car keys.

South-East under siege: Robbers, kidnappers on the rampage

By TONY EDIKE, Enugu, ANAYO OKOLI, Umuahia, CHIDI NKWOPARA, Owerri & VINCENT UJUMADU, Awka.

IT was a frightening way for residents of Enugu to start a weekend when news spread, penultimate Friday that a gang of robbers struck in the university town of Nsukka, robbing banks, and then killed a divisional police officer and bombed a police station.

This came just a few weeks after the immediate past Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro met with police chiefs in the zone and declared the readiness of the force to bring problem of insecurity under control.

Enugu State
In Enugu in particular, crime wave has been on the increase in recent times. Apart from domestic robberies which some observers blamed on joblessness among youths, a situation that has been worsened by the recent ban on commercial motorcycle operation by most states in the zone, the state has witnessed a couple of high-profile robberies and kidnapping of both the rich, middle-class and even children for which huge sums of money were paid as ransoms.

The most celebrated kidnapping in the state was that involving the Dr. Francis Edemobi, younger brother of the Minister of Information, Professor Dora Akunyili in December last year. Although he was released four days after he was captured, the family allegedly coughed out about N5 million to secure his release. His suspected kidnappers were later apprehended along with some prominent persons who have continually denied knowledge or involvement in the act. The accused persons are currently being tried.

Investigations also revealed that there were several unreported cases of kidnapping in the state where relations of the victims paid ransom to the kidnappers without reporting to the police. Such responses to ransom demands by kidnappers had been identified as the major reason for the escalation of the inhuman trade.

The police in the state have repeatedly warned the people to desist from negotiating with kidnappers but for fear of losing such victims, their relations often ignore the security advice by entering into negotiations which usually end up in paying ransom, most times less than the amount demanded.

Apart from Enugu the state capital, some residents of Nsukka, the host community of University of Nigeria, have tasted the bitter pills of kidnapping and violent robberies. Within the first half of this year, police sources said, no fewer than 20 major kidnapping involving some wealthy businessmen from the area had been documented. But unfortunately, the police could not secure the release of the victims as they only regained their freedom after meeting the demands of their captors.

The Catholic Church in Nsukka had accused a police chief of aiding criminals in the town, but even when the said officer was redeployed, the situation has not improved. Only last week, the poor security network in the town was confirmed when a dare-devil armed robbery gang stormed the busy Enugu road with sophisticated weapons and robbed four commercial banks of millions of naira.

Robbers unleash mayhem in Nsukka, Awka - Vanguard

BY EMMA NNADOZIE, TONY EDIKE, Enugu DENNIS AGBO
IT was like a war situation in Nsukka, the host community of the University of Nigeria, yesterday, when a dare-devil gang of armed robbers attacked four commercial banks, bombed the Nsukka Urban Police Division and shot dead the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Joe Ejitaga.

This is just as another gang of robbers killed two Ebonyi PDP officials and two cops in Anambra state.

Robbers kill 2 Ebonyi PDP officials, 2 cops in Anambra. The dare devil robbers believed to be fleeing from Awka Anambra, State, after robbing a bank, on Thursday, gunned down two Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) officials and two policemen attached to the convoy of politicians from Ebonyi state that attended the burial of father to the PDP National Vice Chairman in the South East, Olisa Metu at Nnewi.
Among those who escape death was the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Rural Development Mr. Paulinus Igwe who report has it at yesterday that doctors were still battling to remove the bullet lodged in his head.

Those that reportedly died on the instant are: former chairman of Ezza_West Development Centre, Moses Ugorji, a former Special Adviser to former Governor Sam Egwu on Food Security, Hon. Chukwuma Ofefe and two other security details died instantly from gunshot wounds.

Other people who also sustained serious injuries were a former Majority Leader of Ebonyi state House of Assembly, Chief Tobias Okwuru, a prominent politician from the state, Chief Christopher Ngwuta also known as GNG, among others.

The incident was said to have happened at about 3.30pm on Thursday as the convoy of Paulinus Igwe ran into the robbers at Nnobi area of Anambra state. The robbers who reportedly occupied an open black Toyota Jeep and a Nissan bus painted in Anambra State Government’s acquired ANIDS bus in yellow colours were said to have opened fire on the Ebonyi convoy and killed four persons while many were injured and nor battling to stay alive.

The Nsukka incident which occurred between 9.30 and 11.45am Friday also claimed unspecified number of casualties including security agents attached to the bank, bank officials and their customers as well as traders and passersby who were hit by stray bullets fired by the gunmen.

The entire Nsukka town was thrown into confusion as people scampered for safety on hearing the sound of the sporadic gunshots by the bandits who were armed with sophisticated weapons.

The armed robbers numbering over 20, on arrival at the popular Enugu Road where most of the commercial banks operating in the town are located, blocked the two ends of the road with their commuter bus and Hillux van thereby preventing vehicular movement from St. Theresa’s Catholic Church junction up to the Motor Park.

Having blocked the road, they started shooting into the air to scare away policemen attached to the banks as they made their way to the banks’ premises.

The Bank PHB was the first to be attacked followed by Intercontinental Bank where they surrendered the private and police security guards as well as customers and carted away bags of money.

After succeeding in the two banks with no resistance from the security men most of who were disarmed and ordered to lie face_down, they shot their way into Fidelity Bank where they looted millions of naira before moving into Zenith Bank, where the Branch Manager, Mr. Dennis Ani, was shot several times allegedly for refusing to open the strong room, as ordered by the criminals.

The DPO, who was in his uniform, was said to have visited one of the affected banks for a transaction and was coming out of the bank when he was gunned down. He was lying at the spot throughout the period of the operation which lasted for over an hour.

The police officer was rushed to Nnaji Hospital at Odenigbo area of Nsukka from where they were referred to Bishop Shanahan Hospital, but he died before they got to the hospital.

Ejitaga, who had headed the NEPA and NITEL security taskforces, was redeployed to Nsukka from Igbo_Etiti Police Division where he also served as DPO.

The Zenith Bank branch manager, Ani whose case was also said to be critical having sustained several bullet wounds, was taken to Bishop Shanahan along with other victims, but was referred to Enugu because of the severity of his injuries.

Several other victims were still being treated at Bishop Shanahan and other private hospitals in Nsukka by press time yesterday.
An eyewitness said after raiding the banks, the armed robber drove in their two vehicle to the police station shooting indiscriminately as policemen on duty abandoned their officers and fled for safety.

The police station was bombed with some explosives suspected to be dynamites leaving the entire building, files and furniture in rubbles.

The gunmen were said to have broken the cells and set all the detainees free before bombing the station.

From the station they continued shooting as they zoomed off through Adani road which leads to Onitsha in Anambra State. It was learnt that the gunmen attacked some policemen on checkpoints along the road but details of the attack were not available by press time.

However, it was gathered that a team of Policemen from State Headquarters in Enugu who raced down to Nsukka immediately news of the attack got to them succeeded in accosting the fleeing bandits at a point near Nkpologu.

Eyewitnesses said the robbers used their sophisticated weapons which unconfirmed reports said may be rocket propelled grenades (RPG) to check the advancing team of Policemen by totally demobilising their vehicles.

The leader of the Police team, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) was reportedly badly wounded while others fled in different directions.

It was also learnt that news of the bloody operation which spread like wild fire stopped the Deputy Senate President, Dr. Ike Ekweremadu and Senator Joy Emordi from paying their scheduled condolence visit to the hometown of the zonal leader of Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olisa Metu who lost his father recently.

They were reportedly avoiding being caught up in the raging fire, especially at the popular ninth~mile corner, on their way to the venue of the ceremony.

The State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Zarewa refused to comment on the incident yesterday. He told Vanguard that he was in a crucial meeting when called after the incident. He said he was in mosque when called the second time. But the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu confirmed the death of the DPO in the incident even though said he had no details.

Saturday Vanguard investigations yesterday revealed that the police within Nsukka area including those in six neighbouring local government area could not respond to distress calls sent by their colleagues in Nsukka because of shortage of manpower.

About 140 policemen were drafted from the seven divisions in the area to Enugu to maintain peace during the NLC rally that was held in the coal city yesterday. This, observers said, may have contributed to the success of the robbery.

“All police divisions in Nsukka sent at least 22 police men to Enugu to maintain peace during the NLC rally that was held yesterday and when the operation started there was no enough men to defend the masses.

The CP had no business sending up to 140 policemen to Enugu with 140 guns leaving the people of the area to defend themselves. This is very unfortunate,” a concerned resident of Nsukka told Vanguard yesterday.

Reacting to the incident, former Governorship candidate of Labour Party in Enugu State, Chief Okey Ezea said: “The operation lasted for about three hours and if Enugu had sent reinforcement from Enugu they would have arrived Nsukka within an hour. Where were all the men on numerous police checkpoints between Nsukka and Enugu?
“I think the incident at Nsukka says much about how insecure people have become in Nigeria. We expect Federal and State government to join efforts in equipping the police to protect lives and property in Nigeria.

“It is ridiculous that armed robbers can terrorize police with general purpose machine guns and grenades and the federal government has no answer to this. The State and Federal Government should earmark special funds for equipping the police and providing them with the necessary arsenal and superior firepower over and above this criminal.”

How Kidnappers Operate In Imo State - Vanguard

You have obviously been reading the accounts of how innocent citizens were picked by kidnappers in some states of Nigeria, including Imo. The hoodlums employed and are still employing all manner of tactics to perpetrate their nefarious and sordid act. No two reported cases have the same operational plan.

A story was told of how some criminals stormed a private home of a citizen in mobile police uniform. Alarmed by the additional number of policemen in the vicinity, the fakes quickly told the suspicious officers in their duty post that the state command got wind of an impending attack by armed robbers and that was why they were sent to reinforce the security in the vicinity.

In the case of 82-year old Chief Silvanus Udenkwo, the father of an Owerri based business mogul, Chief Joel Udenkwo, he was picked by hoodlums posing as officials of a mobile telecommunications company in Nigeria.

The criminals visited the old man’s Isiala, Umudi, Nkwerre local government area, seeking his assistance on how they could get a land space to mount the company’s mast in the community.

He had none to give but opted to take them to his relation that had some to spare. The young men followed the octogenarian to his kinsman’s place and thereafter offered to drive the duo to the location of the land.

They led Pa Udenkwo’s kinsman deep into the bush, scared him stiff in that bushy enclosure before driving their targeted captive away.

Pa Udenkwo remained in captivity for 12 days, but while in the custody of his captives, they managed to extract the mobile telephone number of his son from the frightened old man.

They quickly made contacts and negotiations started. A ransom of N70 million was placed on his head but the old man’s son eventually parted with a paltry N6,000 he sent through MTN recharge cards before security men commanded by the former Commissioner of Police, Mr. Innocent Ilozuoke, struck.

Chief Tony Chukwu’s aged father was moved from the Umuawuchi Owerre, Umueze 1, and Ehime Mbano local government area ancestral home into captivity. That was how his kidnap story and the trauma and anguish associated with it started. Ransom was demanded and paid by the family before he was released by his captors.

The sad thing is that the hapless old man died June 10, 2008, not long after he was released by his captors! He obviously passed through serious trauma while in captivity. His captors did not know his medical history. All they knew was that he was the father of a wealthy man.

That is the extent people can go in the quest for quick money. They never cared that the old could have died in their custody.

The case of Mrs. Ngozi Nneji had a different cast. She was returning from an evening devotion in a Catholic Parish in Owerri municipality when the hoodlums struck.

The hoodlums carefully trailed the unsuspecting, soft spoken and ever cheerful wife of the ABC Transport boss, Mr. Frank Nneji, to a safe corner, double crossed her and the kidnap story started evolving. He paid through his nose to get his lovely wife out of the devilish grip of the criminals.

When the spate of kidnapping started being a recurring decimal in Imo Sate, the Speaker of Imo State house of Assembly, Chief Goodluck Nanah Opiah, felt it was safe to relocate members of his family to Aba, the commercial nerve centre of Abia State.

This singular act resulted in the kidnap of two of his children. A traumatised Speaker paid an undisclosed ransom before his children were released by the criminals.

Not long after, the member representing Ikeduru in the State House of Assembly, Chief Sam Daddy Anyanwu, narrowly escaped a kidnap trap or possible assassination, following the arrest of an armed man that stormed his Amaimo country home, dressed in a white cassock. He impersonated a Catholic priest.

“The security men could not understand why a supposed Catholic priest, sent by his bishop, would prefer to ride on a motorcycle. Their suspicion heightened and they decided to search the strange visitor in cassock. A short gun, which he carefully hid in his cassock, was recovered”, Chief Anyanwu told Vanguard.

Although the son of the member representing Isiala Mbano in the State House of Assembly, Chief Simeon Iwunze, had earlier been picked and released on payment of ransom, there was another interesting story from another Imo lawmaker, Mr. Celestine Ngobiwu. He was kidnapped by hoodlums.

This time, the hoodlums did not quite put their acts together. Ordinarily, their captive ought to have been the one to sign the cheque, collect and deliver the ransom the hoodlums were demanding. He was however in their custody and tucked away at an undisclosed location.

The hoodlums told the lawmaker some stories and made sound revelations, which is pertinent in the present circumstance in Imo State. They claimed that they were previously armed robbers before they switched over to kidnapping.

They claimed that it was safer to be branded a kidnapper than an armed robber. They opined that some cool money could be made in the kidnap business without necessarily posing serious threat to their lives.

Thereafter, the hoodlums changed tactics. No bread winner of any family was picked up for quite a while in the state by kidnappers since the release of the Imo lawmaker.

It now appears safe to conclude that armed robbery is gradually fading away. Recently, Imo State Police Command announced that they had broken the backbone of a kidnap cartel operating in the state.

Some social misfits implicated in the sordid act were first paraded by the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, before the former Imo police boss, Mr. Innocent Ilozuoke, did the same in Owerri.

The feelings around town are that if the grandmaster of the crime were actually arrested, the crime would have since stopped.

But the miscreants are still at work. They have continued to harass and intimidate members of high profile families in the state and smiling to their banks. Ginikachi, the daughter of the immediate past Deputy Governor of Imo State, Chief Ebere Udeagu, also fell victim of the hoodlums.

Confirming the sad incident to Vanguard, Chief Udeagu, tried to exhibit courage in the midst of serious distress, as he tried to narrate the story, said “she was kidnapped Thursday evening, June 19, 2008”, in Owerri.

At the time he was talking, the circumstances surrounding the kidnap was still very hazy but quickly added that the family can only get the details when she was eventually released from captivity. She eventually returned and soon after, two members of the criminal gang were arrested by the police, arraigned in court, vide suit number HOW/51C/2008, tried, convicted and sentenced to three years imprisonment by Hon. Justice Nonye Okoronkwo.

The convicted hoodlums are Emeka Junior Emeka, the son of a former member of Imo State House of Assembly, Dr. Emeka Ukaegbu, and Ogechi Ekechukwu. They were found guilty on two of the six count charges.

Justice Okoronkwo said: “Why was it necessary to guard Ginikachi Udeagu if she was an associate. There would not have been any such necessity if she was an associate and indeed a mastermind of the scheme.

I find that Ginikachi did not give her consent to her kidnap and was not involved in the plan to kidnap her. From the above finding and the admissions of the accused persons, there was a plot between the accused persons and others to kidnap Ginikachi Udeagu for the purpose of demanding and receiving ransom payment from her father, Chief Ebere Udeagu”.

Against the background of the foregoing analysis, Justice Okoronkwo said that he had no illusions that the two accused persons “conspired with others to commit the offence of kidnapping contrary to Section 364(2) of the Criminal Code and i accordingly find the first and second accused each guilty on counts one and two”.

But kidnapping is not a new phenomenon. The defunct Eastern Nigerian government included aspects of this crime in its Laws, which are applicable to Imo State today. A provision was made for conspiracy to commit felony.

This is contrary to Section 515(A) (a) of the Criminal Code Cap. 30 Vol. II Laws of Eastern Nigeria 1963 as amended by Section 3(a) of the Criminal Code amended Edict No.5 of 1974 of East Central State of Nigeria, as applicable to Imo State.

The offence of kidnapping was taken care of in Section 364(2) of the Criminal Code Cap. 30 Vol. II Laws of Eastern Nigeria 1963, as applicable in Imo State. Deprivation of liberty was seen as a serious offence and that was why Section 365 of the Criminal Code Cap. 30 Vol. II Laws of Eastern Nigeria 1963 was crafted.

Provisions were also made for conspiracy to commit misdemeanor contrary to Section 517 of the Criminal Code Cap. 30 Vol. II Laws of Eastern Nigeria 1963, as applicable to Imo Sate.

In a recent interview, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Aloysius Okorie, affirmed that the issue of kidnapping stared him in the face as he took over the state command, even as he maintained that these criminals do not live in the moon.

“The issue of kidnapping stared me in the face as soon as I assumed duties in the Command. We have cracked some of the gangs and we are battling to crush the remnants”, Okorie said.

While reiterating the determination of the Command to fight criminals operating in the state to a standstill, Okorie also appealed to the citizenry to take the police into confidence anytime kidnappers strike, stressing that people should be patient and cooperate with the command.

The question on everybody’s lips is when this spate of kidnapping, armed robbery and other serious crimes in Imo State will stop.

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Last Updated on Monday, 21 September 2009 13:13
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Sack Aondoaka Now-CACOL writes Yar'adua.

he Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) as a group of organizations with the objective of fighting corruption and corrupt persons at all levels has been a keen watcher of Chief Michael Aondoakaa, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF since his appointment was confirmed by the Senate in 2007 and he declared he would rather prevent corruption in the country than prosecute corrupt leaders. We have found him to be roguish, corruptible, insensitive and incompetent either as a Minister in any Ministry or the Attorney-General in Nigeria

This supposed Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of Federation whose activities since he assumed office has proven that he is a wrong person for the right position he is holding in trust for us, the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The senior member of the bar has demonstrated by his acts, behaviours and public pronouncements that he is not ready to defend the best interest of Nigerians especially in apprehending and bringing corrupt leaders to justice. Rather than taking steps to make corruption unattractive to politically exposed citizens, his efforts so far have only be geared towards arranging soft-landing for and glorifying convicted corrupt leaders, providing covers for the indicted and suspected ones to evade the course of justice and preventing the anti-corruption agencies at home and abroad from bringing the corrupt to book. We have reasons for this assertion.

We had wondered how the gentleman would not start a journey of one thousand years with a step but would rather start from the end. He wanted to prevent an accident that had happened, that is, cry when the head was already off. He was criticized that his strategy was an impossible task and advised to devise a strategy to deal with cases of the large number of Nigerian leaders who were already being investigated or prosecuted both within and outside Nigeria ; he admitted he would prosecute all proven cases of corruption but never did any till date. Beyond that, we had a couple of other reservations on the competence and appropriateness of Barrister Aondoakaa occupying a position that required high sense of responsibility, integrity and commitment to the course of justice. It is our belief that an effective public defender also needs a great sense of morality, empathy and selflessness. All these great qualities are found absent in our own AGF Aondoakaa.

The first indication that the AGF’s admission of responsibility to prosecute corrupt leaders was a fluke came to fore when he said publicly that he and the anti-graft agencies under his ministry would have prosecuted former President Olusegun Obasanjo if there had been a petition against the ex-president whose corrupt activities while in office were an open secret to all and sundry. CACOL was thoroughly flabbergasted by the statement not only because the AGF, as the number one public defender in the country, needed not ask for petitions before ordering investigation and possible prosecution of suspected past or current public office holders, but also all enlightened Nigerians knew that we submitted petitions that chronicled some of the suspected corrupt dealings of the former president while his tenure of terror lasted. The petitions that were submitted on hand to the EFCC and ICPC just a few weeks before he made the statement were preceded by public processions staged by CACOL members and various news media reported them worldwide. We later wrote Chief Aondoakaa to express our disappointment in him that we expected him to be better informed about issues affecting his office than he demonstrated. We then asked him to resign if he did not have enough nerves to man the office whose primary function is to be the defence of the best interest of the ordinary Nigerians.

Again there is a case of conflict of interest between Barrister Aondoakaa and his function as the Attorney-General of the Federation. It would be recalled that our AGF was one of the counsels defending the former Governor of Benue State, George Akume, also accused of corruption, in a case seeking the Supreme Court to declare that the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) was an illegal body that lacked the rights to investigate or prosecute corruption cases. Since the EFCC is an agency under the Ministry of Justice, it means Chief Aondoakaa as the Minister of Justice is handling a case against the Federal Government he was appointed to be part of and whose side he is expected to defend. What this means is that the Minister is prosecuting a case against an agency he supervises and is prosecuting cases of corruption against those who turned out to be his clients that his private law firm defends. If he had his way, it means he would abandon the Courts and just scrap the ‘unwanted’ agency by administrative fiat, at least, while his clients’ cases lasted. His interest in cases of some alleged corrupt past governors makes him both the prosecution and the defence counsel in them!

Any wonder then that the first assignment the Minister embarked upon was to try to incapacitate the EFCC and its sister agencies like the ICPC and CCB by usurping their prosecutorial powers. When that attempt failed owing to the widespread outcry against his proposition, he tried another trick of subsuming them under the Nigeria Police – the para-military civil defence institution that sees itself more as a military outfit and has turned civil night mare. The Nigeria Police had been rated as the most corrupt institution in Nigeria . That effort failed too. Nonetheless there is a hiding place for the AGF to protect his alleged corrupt allies in the constitutional provision that makes him the Lord of all prosecutions to be undertaken by all agencies under his ministry. He has to assent to all cases prepared by the agencies before they get to Court. If he withholds his assent, the culprit may never get prosecuted no matter what evidence and witnesses there are against such culprit. This is the instrument Barrister Aondoakaa has not failed in using to its maximum.

It is this almighty power the AGF uses to protect many of his cronies without us knowing since the anti-graft agencies may only grunt but cannot sing as long as their boss has vested interest in any case being handled. One glaring case of the use of this veto power was his attempt to prevent the detention and arraignment of the indicted bank executives over illegal loan dealings. Chief Aondoakaa with neither notice nor instruction travelled out of the country while the indicted bankers were being picked up by the EFCC. If the latter had not been smart enough to have obtained a court order to detain the banksters, many of them would have escaped the course of justice. The AGF might have reasoned that the Commission would be incapacitated since it would merely rely on his assent for the detention and arraignment of the alleged bad bankers while his sojourn for nothing lasted in Europe .

We may soon discover that the last expose we got from the EFCC contradicting the AGF over the Vmobile scandal is a defiant move that will cost the Agency’s Chairman her job, depending on whose side the president and we, the Nigerian people stand. The AGF’s had engaged in a miscalculated attempt to use the EFCC as cannon fodder in protecting one of his former governor friends, Chief James Ibori, who and two others the AGF claimed the EFCC had cleared of culpability. Ibori had, while in office as Delta State governor used shares of Delta State as collateral for N44billon loan taken by his private company, Ascort Limited, from one of the failing banks. The coercion attempt backfired and exposed the hypocrisy of Chief Aondoakaa as the EFCC refused to be wrongly used and cried out against the malfeasance. This is even when further crimes are being committed by them against the people whose interest they are expected to protect. Chief James Ibori especially had asked the creditor bank to sell the shares he know full well belong to his state to offset debts owed by his private company without regards to the criminality of such act of dishonesty. In his attempt to give legitimacy to his patent lies, Aondoakaa lied against those not indicted on the deal as having been cleared along with his serial-corruptionist friend, Chief James Onanefe Ibori.

The AGF, who is expected to be the chief prosecutor of caught thieving rascals in government houses, is only serving as their chief protector. As we observed earlier, it was our Aondoakaa who frustrated Ibori’s trial in another London court because he withheld necessary information and mandate needed to prosecute the case. According to the court, “the evidence against him (Ibori) did not emanate from Nigeria ”. Just about the time our AGF protested the prosecution of Ibori by the Met police in London, the Court of Appeal in Kaduna struck out the EFCC’s case against the suspected crook on the grounds that Kaduna was about 700 kilometres from Delta State where the offence was allegedly committed! CACOL suspected that Aondoakaa’s stance on the case influenced the court’s decision since he bosses the courts. Our dismay stems from the fact that there had been several earlier pronouncements that Federal Courts, be it High or Appellate were one and the same no matter which part of the federation its officials operate. This gives an impression that “the present suspect on trial was a special one with larger-than-life image and should be so treated”. Nonetheless, the preferential treatment had not been our worry but using it as an excuse to frustrate diligent prosecution of a leader who is suspected to have caused his people a lot of socio-economic calamity.

Equally, the AGF tried to forcefully take over the prosecution of the former governor of Abia State who was being arraigned for corruption charges from the EFCC based on a purported restraining order on the prosecuting EFCC. Although the office of the AGF was expected to argue on the side of the EFCC, the contrary was the case. The counsel representing the AGF took up the defence of the alleged culprit by asking for stay of proceeding based on a non-existent restraining order. Barrister Aondoakaa had earlier tried to save the former minister of petroleum, Chief Dan Etete in 2007 when he was being tried in France for money laundering when he wrote that he was unaware that Chief Etete was ever accused of any corrupt practice neither was power of attorney given to any French lawyer to prosecute the then minister. This gimmick failed as Etete was tried and convicted in absentia to three years imprisonment and a fine of 300,000 euros.

Your Excellency would remember that the AGF tried to extricate Ibori from the restraint proceedings in a London court. According to media reports, the Southwark Crown Court in London had on August 2, 2007 frozen Ibori’s assets around the world estimated at about $35 million. But the freeze order was lifted on October 2, 2007 after Speechly Birchain, Ibori’s Lawyer, presented to the court a letter written by Aondoakaa stating that the former governor was under no investigation in Nigeria in response to an inquiry from Birchain without reference to EFCC, ICPC, CCB or any other investigating agency in the country. Significantly, AGF Aondoakaa said in his letter that he had not requested the Metropolitan Police in London for any assistance in investigating Ibori as required under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between Nigeria and Britain . This let Ibori off the hook. Nonetheless, Ibori’s victory in Britain was short-lived as another court has reinstated the freeze order on his assets. Besides, Chief James Ibori, according to a Counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, is an ex-convict of Clerkkenwell Magistrates Court, London . He was fined 300 pounds and ordered to pay 450 pounds as costs.

Despite his promise to diligently prosecute all indicted corrupt public officers in Nigeria, the AGF has been reported to refuse to release the 25 witnesses from the EFCC requested for by the Metropolitan police in London to bring Chief Ibori and Victor Attah, the former governor of Akwa Ibom state to trial slated for Tuesday September 21 2009 for alleged money laundering. Our AGF is in the game of trying to frustrate the trial of his friends for corruption once again as he had earlier done and failed for Dan Etete and James Ibori in France and London respectively. To protest the trial by the Met Police, as he had done in the earlier cases also, the AGF shamelessly jetted out to London with a view to don his wig and gown in court to defend the alleged international fraudsters, even when he claims to be fighting corrupt leaders at home. What a shameless ambivalence. Thank God for the Nigerian Liberty Forum who smoked him out of his Marriot Hotel hide out in London and threatened to shame him if he eventually appears in the court.

This same Minister of Justice and AGF whose priority should be defence of ordinary Nigerians by promptly bringing corrupt leaders to book has severally demonstrated that he has no interest in such engagement. It would be recalled that the AGF promised to bring to book all those mentioned in several international scandals such as Siemens, Wilbross, Pentascope, Halliburton etc but has not done anything beyond efforts to sweep the vices under the carpet. Even when he succumbed to public demand for definite action on Halliburton scandal, the AGF only pretended to have traveled to the United States in search of the indicted Nigerians in the case. We learnt that our AGF only went on a trade mission to the US rather than chase after the Halliburton culprits. When he came back he handed the case over to a committee headed by the Nigeria Police as if the police force is more effective than the EFCC that has done extensive work and recorded much progress on the scam. And as expected, nothing has come out of the rigmarole.

Now that the EFCC has woken up from its slumber and ready to hold the bull by the horn, the AGF should not constitute itself as clog in the wheel of anti-corruption progress in Nigeria . Nigerians are not satisfied with logical gymnastics Barrister Aondoakaa is playing with the rule-of-law mantra with which he helps corrupt friends of his hide their criminality to escape justice. We are also not satiasfied by the mild punishments the judiciary gave the convicted former governor of Bayelsa State , Dipriye Alaiyemesigha and former Inspector-General of police, Tafa Balogun which were based on corrupted version of what justice should be termed “plea bargain”. Whoever is found guilty of crimes against the people should be made to face the full wrath of the law.

Mr President, we would not want you to continue to accord state respect to suspected or convicted corrupt leaders like Peter Odili, the former governor of Rivers State who was granted yet to be vacated perpetual injunction against arrest and prosecution, and Lucky Igbinedion, the convicted former governor of Edo State, who was given just a slap-on-the-wrist punishment for monumental corrupt practices and you received in your office with open arms as a leader of a delegation. True, these former governors belong to the same alumni of past governors with you. However they are your friends you need to dissociate from and disown otherwise the case of “show me your friend…” will apply and Nigerians may begin to treat you as an accessory, accomplice or a potential member of the club of corrupt leaders. Their indulgence by both the judiciary and federal government is a dent on your seven-point agenda and your Minister of Information, Dora Akuyili’s re-branding campaign. It will for long remain fresh sore points in our memory that Nigeria ’s judicial system has to nurture.

Mr President, we wonder if it is true that Chief Michael Aondoakaa was nominated for your appointment as the AGF by the ex-convict of London’s Clerkenwell Magistrates Court, former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori who we also learnt was the biggest financial powerhouse for the your presidential campaign in the 2007 election. Could it therefore be true that you may never be able to call this powerful minister of yours to saner order owing to his close relationship with your former colleague and benefactor? If you fail to call him to order, your Excellency, Chief Aondoakaa will not only embarrass you as the chief accounting officer of your regime, he will also get you ostracized from the company of leaders of comity of decent nations as you experienced with the G-20 and ignored by President Barack Obama when he came calling in Africa. Such judicial misbehaviour from our AGF can also return our country to the pariah status we donned for so long for allowing military brigandage in our polity. Such will also expose you and your regime to international ridicule as you experienced during the august visit of the US Secretary of State, Mrs Hillary Clinton, who tongue-lashed you for keeping crooks in your cabinet and paying just lip service to the fight against corruption. However it has been proven, as we stated above that Chief Michael Aondoakaa is a personal friend to the Iboris and other corrupt public office holders in the country, including bankers of fraud and their collaborators. He would never have any reason to spot any fault in them, no matter their indictment. He is however an incurable enemy of the corrupt’s prosecuting agency, the EFCC as well as other anti-graft agencies that will never get adequate cooperation from him, as their boss for diligent prosecution of the indicted corrupt persons.

CACOL therefore calls on you, Mr. President; to live up to the confidence that ordinary members of this society repose on you by summoning up adequate courage to do the right thing by performing the sacred duty that will stand the test of history no matter whose ox is gored. Barrister Aondoakaa is a dent on whatever your regime stands for, he should be asked to resign forthwith or be sacked.

Furthermore, we appeal to all concerned arms and organs of government, especially the Senate, judicial officers both at the bar and the bench, especially the National Assembly and all recipients of a copy of this letter should please exert adequate pressure on the relevant organs and authorities that will ensure timely exit of this pro-corruption activist that Aondoakaa is. The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to which Aondoakaa belongs to should please stop this member of theirs from further embarrassing Nigeria by recalling him out of the National Cabinet. On our own part, CACOL will team up with all other progressive institutions, organizations and individuals to at appropriate time stage indefinite mass protest to ensure the deserved exit of this man who has turned himself to the Attorney-General of the corrupt from the cabinet of our government.

Finally we urge all government functionaries in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies, including those in political and administrative offices, to do their utmost best to ensure that all alleged corrupt leaders truly and sincerely prove their innocence or otherwise face the full weight of the law. It is our country, nay all of us that will be better for it. Justice must not only be done at all times, it must be seen to have been done. That is where our national pride truly lies. That is the actual re-branding Nigerians need.



Debo Adeniran
Executive Chairman, CACOL
Sunday, 20 September, 2009

cc:
• The President of the Senate
• The Honourable Speaker, House of Representatives
• The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation
• The Chairman, National Judicial Commission
• The President, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA)

http://www.saharareporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3756:sack-aondoaka-now-cacol-write-yaradua&catid=115:petitions&Itemid=361

Guardian reporter gunned down.

Forty-one year-old Bayo Ohu, an assistant political editor of The Guardian was shot in the early hours of Sunday by gunmen suspected to be assasins.

Witnesses said three men, who arrived in a white Toyota Camry car, visited Mr. Ohu in his house at Egbeda, Lagos State around 7:15 in the morning and fired several shots at him. The men, who were said to have left with his laptop, also waited a while to ensure that the reporter could receive no help as he lay bleeding and shouting for help.

He was certified dead when he was finally taken to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, where his body was deposited in the mortuary. Police have launched an investigation into the killing. The management of The Guardian has also promised to release a statement on the killing.

Mr. Ohu joined The Guardian in 1993 after completing his national youth service in Katsina State. He was the correspondent of the paper in Katsina until 2002 when he became assistant news editor and was recalled to the head office in Lagos. He was seconded to the politics desk in 2008. He is survived by a wife and children.
http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5461394-146/Gunmen_kill_The_Guardian%27s_political_editor.csp#

V-mobile shares scam: Ibori’s trial begins - In London - Nigeria stalls release of 25 witnesses - Why ex-govs trial is slow.

V-mobile shares scam: Ibori’s trial begins - In London - Nigeria stalls release of 25 witnesses - Why ex-govs trial is slow

Taiwo Adisa, Group Politics Editor and Jackson Udom - 20.09.2009

A fresh round of crisis has blown into the open between the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice (AGF), Mr. Mike Aondoakaa and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the release of witnesses demanded by London Metropolitan Police in the trial of the former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori in the $1.6 billion V-Mobile shares scandal saga.

Presidency sources informed the Sunday Tribune that the source of the feud between Aondoakaa and Waziri this time is the refusal of the Nigerian Attorney General to furnish the EFCC with the required Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), required to transfer the 25 operatives to London to enable them testify in the case against Ibori.

It was gathered that the Metropolitan Police had communicated with the EFCC last week and relying on the collaboration between the two countries on money laundering matters, the London Police authorities requested the EFCC to produce the 25 operatives who could serve as witnesses in the case against Ibori in London which begins tomorrow.

A Presidency source said, “Reports reaching us indicate that things have gone out of hand between Aondoakaa and Waziri over this shares sale saga. The woman has informally hinted the Villa that the AGF is blocking the release of MLAT needed to prove Nigeria’s seriousness in having the case prosecuted in London. But so far the AGF is sitting on the release of the document. The presidency is taking a look at this controversy.”

It was gathered that the London Police has gathered evidence to link Ibori with the claim of money laundering in relation to the shares proceeds and that they only needed the 25 Nigerian officials to corroborate the evidence in court.

Sources said that the release of the officials to Metropolitan Police and their appearance in court will be beneficial to both Nigeria and Britain as it would help other cases the EFCC is currently investigating.

“We have been made to understand that the UK has exclusive evidence on the Ibori case, we do not want to play politics with this, because the name of the President is being dragged to the saga from some quarters. The president will not shield anyone over corruption and that is why I can assure you that the last has not been heard on this,” another source said on Saturday.

The AGF had last week stirred the hornet’s nest when he unilaterally declared the trio of Ibori, the former governor of Lagos state, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and former governor of Akwa-Ibom state, Obong Victor Attah have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the shares scam, the London Metropolitan police is going ahead with the trial of Ibori on the matter.

The EFCC has also objected to the clearance given to the three former governors by Aondoakaa.

Investigations revealed that EFCC operatives were angry to read in the newspapers that the AGF has cleared the governors, especially Ibori.

Sources said that the AGF had muddled up the facts in order to paint a picture that the governors have been cleared.

First it was gathered that Tinubu has nothing to do with the case at hand, but that his name was deliberately included to keep the Action Congress (AC), which is known for its virulent criticisms of the government at bay.

It was also gathered that the clearance referred to by the AGF has to do with the African Development Finance Incorporated (AFDI), a company which was initially linked with the shares scam.

It was gathered that some sources in V-mobile had informed the EFCC in the course of its investigation of the shares proceeds that the money was in an account in Access Bank.

EFCC promptly placed caution on the said account but investigations later indicated that the money in the said account belongs to AFDI and it was proceeds of brokerage fees paid by Akwa-Ibom to the company.

Said a source close to the Presidency: “When Akwa-Ibom State confirmed the payment, it was discovered that the money was legitimately earned by AFDI and not proceeds of the shares EFCC was looking for, so the account was released. But this has nothing to do with the shares proceeds and the investigation being carried out on Ibori and others by EFCC.”

It was gathered that the EFCC is already feeling frustrated by AGF’s conduct on this matter.

Sources had told the Sunday Tribune that Aondoakaa was in London at the end of last week in connection with the shares saga.

A source said he actually went on the trip to protest the decision of Metropolitan police to go ahead with the Ibori case when the Nigerian government had given the man a clean bill of health.

But another source said that the man was in London to present some papers in relation to a trade agreement and that he was due to attend sessions alongside the Nigerian Ambassador to the United Kingdom (UK).

Meanwhile more facts have emerged on why the Federal Government decided to clear former governors of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, Chief James Ibori, Delta State and Senator Bola Tinubu, Lagos State of the controversy surrounding the V-mobile shares.

Sunday Tribune gathered that the thinking within the presidency is that should the three former governors be made to face the consequence of their alleged action on the share sales, there is no way the image of the Presidency would not be dragged into the mess.

The source told Sunday Tribune that “it is not as if the Presidency is protecting the former governors but it had to do that to save the seat of power from the public embarrassment the shares scam would bring to it if the lid is finally blown open.”

It was also gathered that because of the roles one of the embattled former governors played in the installation of President Umar Yar’Adua in 2007, and the fact that the AGF is a close ally of one of those enmeshed in the shares sale scam, the presidency would go to any length to ensure that the former governor and the Presidency were not disgraced.

Sunday Tribune further gathered that the public clarification by the former Lagos State governor, Ahmed Tinubu on the shares scam, did not go down well with the Presidency. That clarification, it was learnt, has created a major moral burden for former governors Attah and Ibori, who are yet to publicly state their roles or otherwise in the sales of the V-mobile shares.

It will be recalled that since 2007, when the current national leadership came on board, some former governors have been dragged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before the law court on allegation of financial misconduct and money laundering while in office.

Two years down the line, none of the governors has been convicted or discharged on the allegations against them.

It was also gathered that some incumbent governors, with second term ambition, whose predecessors are currently defending themselves on alleged corrupt practices while in office in different courts are now under intense pressure from the Presidency. They are being pressurized not to further compound the problem of the predecessors because of the bad image the issue had already caused the party which produced them as governors.

Sunday Tribune further gathered that the body language in the presidency points to the fact that any incumbent governor who relishes in exposing the past of his predecessor, specifically by giving out unsolicited documents to the EFCC, would be paid back at the right time.

US demands trial of Ibori, Odili

US demands trial of Ibori, Odili

It is no longer a joke. The government of United States of America is telling the administration of Mr. Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in Nigeria to show more seriousness in prosecuting corrupt and fraudulent officials or risk continued ridicule in the comity of nations.

State Department official, in Washington D.C reliably told pointblanknews.com this week, that the U.S. government is waiving aside diplomatese to specifically demand the prosecution of former Governor of Delta State, Mr. James Ibori and his former Rivers State counterpart, Mr. Peter Odilli for proper trial.

Over =N= 100billion of Rivers State funds have been alleged to have been diverted by former Governor Dr. Odili using Mr. Arumemi- Ikhide and his related companies.

The British government is investigating Mr. Ibori on allegations of the laundering of millions of dollars of looted state funds. But, Mr. Ibori denies the charges of laundering against him.

At the last count, the former governor is said to have looted close to N200 billion from the coffers of Delta State treasury w hile several assets worth £35 million (Thirty Five Million Pounds) overseas alleged to be proceeds of crime and traced to Chief James Ibori have been frozen by a British Court.

According to the sources who asked for anonymity to avoid admonitions for disclosing a top secret diplomatic issue, the State Department, following the recent visits of both President Barrack Obama and Secretary of State, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, has followed up with a memo detailing the known fraudulent and corrupt activities of Mr. Ibori and Mr. Odilli. The memo was said to have contained pungent criticisms of the half hearted commitment of the Farida Waziri – led Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, in Nigeria and its treatment of certain categories of Nigerians as sacred cow in the self appointed war of the Yar’Adua’s administration against corruption.

The sources told pointblanknews.com that the said memo included a dossier of the stolen wealth already traced to both Odilli and Ibori by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Central Intelligence Agency, C.I.A.

One of the sources explained that the recent critical comments of Obama while in Ghana last month, and later the very direct criticism of EFCC by Mrs. Clinton while visiting Nigeria was the strong indication that the international community would not take Nigeria out of negative reckoning until Ibori, Odilli and other indicted officials were prosecuted according to the existing statue on corruption in Nigeria.

The said memo was said to have also ridiculed the transfer of Ibori’s trial to Asaba as a farce that offers no amusement as it is predictable that his innocence would be stage managed even as evidence continues to show that he indeed stole Delta State dry.

Also the air of silence and inactivity on the allegations against Odilli was raised in the said memo.

Details of Odili’s Looting Spree

Full Text Of The EFCC's Report That Scuttled Peter Odili's ambition. The Report Was Addressed To President Olusegun Obasanjo By EFCC's Chairman, Nuhu Ribadu.

THE INTERIM REPORT ON THE INVESTIGATION OF A CASE OF ALLEGED CONSPIRACY, ABUSE OF OFFICE, FRAUDULENT CONVERSION OF PUBLIC FUNDS, FOREIGN EXCHANGE MALPRACTICE, STEALING AND MONEY LAUNDERING


Your Excellency,

Over the past several weeks, the Commission received numerous petitions against the Executive Governor of River State, Dr. Peter Odili and some officials of the State.

The following report is prepared below to update you on the context, content, and full ramifications of the investigation against Dr. Peter Odili, Executive Governor of River State, and Mr. Arumemi-Ikhide, a business associate of Dr. Odili.

Your Excellency, this is=2 0for your kind review.
Most respectfully,
Nuhu Ribadu
Executive Chairman

In line with its statutory mandate, the Commission received and responded to numerous petitions against the Executive Governor of River State, Dr. Peter Odili and some officials of the State in the past several weeks. After careful investigations, major findings were made with severe implications of fraud, conspiracy, conversion of public funds, foreign exchange malpractice, money laundering, stealing and abuse of oath of office.

2.0 Facts of these of Petitions:
The petitioners stated that they carried out a private investigation into government looting of the treasury of Rivers State by Governor Peter Odili and alleged amongst the following:

i. That the sum of =N=24.6billion was used by the government of Rivers State at various times to build gas turbines as part of its Independent Power Programmme yet the people of the State could not enjoy uninterrupted power failure.

ii. That this elaborate electricity project was executed without appropriate legislation by the State House of Assembly in flagrant abuse Constitutional requirements.

iii. Th at the contractor behind the scam is Mr. Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide, the proprietor of a number of companies prominent among which are: Rockson Engineering Company Limited, Arik Air, etc.

iv. That the Government of Dr. Peter Odili had several financial dealings amounting to about N3.5 billion Naira with Rockson Engineering Company Limited long before the company was incorporated on 16 th May, 2000.
v. That Rockson Engineering Company Limited was involved in a number of fraudulent procurement of Iveco buses and Ferryboats for the State at the instance of the State Governor, Dr. Peter Odili.

vi. That the same Rockson Engineering Company Limited, with its star quality business leverage, curiously has only two directors which are Mr. Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide, and his wife, Mrs. Mary Ehiomome Arumemi-Ikhide.

vii. That between December 2005 and January 2006, the sum of over N1 billion was disbursed by Dr. Peter Odili to members of the Rivers State House of Assembly in the name of 2004 Constituency Project that were never executed.

viii. That there has been illegal diversion of Local Government Councils’ funds by Rivers State Governor, His Excellency, Mr. Peter Odili to the tune of =N=4,351,555,000.00

ix.=2 0That various illegal diversions of funds from the various State Government accounts were done by the Governor and officials of the State, sometimes through Rockson Engineering Company Limited.

x. That the siphoning of government funds was also done through the State Ecological Fund accounts where =N=176million was collected by Mr. Goodlife Ben, the Accountant of the Government House and =N=34million by one Mr. Vernon.

xi. That the Governor voted and procured two jets and one hundred vehicles committed to his Presidential campaign, as he did not raise any fund from the public for the campaign.
xii. Lastly, the Petitioners called on the Commission to check these frauds.

3.0 Investigation
The Investigating Team commenced full work into the allegation enumerated above by inviting the principal officers of the State that were implicated. The officers invited were the Commissioners for Finance, Local Government and Works, Messrs Kenneth Kobani, Mella O. Oforibika, and Arc Ucheowaji J. Urombo respectively. The Accountant General of the State, Mr. Geoffrey Senior Jaja, was also invited and they all volunteered written statement.

Mr. Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide, the Chairman of Arik Air Nigeria Limited among several other companies like Rockson Engineering Ltd, Ojemai Holdings Limited, etc20were also invited and volunteered statements. Searches were conducted in the offices of Arik Air Nigeria Ltd. and Rockson Engineering Company Ltd. in Lagos and Port Harcourt respectively. Some documents relating to contracts and foreign exchange transfers were found and retrieved for analyses. Letters have been dispatched to banks to avail the Commission documents and statements of the State and Local Government accounts of Rivers State, of some companies and of individuals. Some banks have forwarded statements and documents, which have been analysed/examined.


4.0 Findings
Based on the investigation carried out so far, the following facts were revealed.

i. Mr. Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide, the Chairman of several companies, is a major contractor to the Government of Rivers State. He was awarded several contracts by the State Government including the Independent Power Programme (IPP), Supply of buses and cars, etc.

ii. Prior to becoming a major contractor to the State Government in 2000, Mr. Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide was a shareholder of, and an Executive Director in, Negris Engineering Nigeria Limited. He worked for the company for over eighteen (18) years before leaving the company, as a result of misunderstanding with the other management staff, to form Rockson Engineering Nigeria Limited in 2000.

iii. While he was still with Negris, he provided an interface between Negris and Rivers State Government during which two major contracts were secured for the company. The contracts were the supply and installation of generating sets and transformers worth =N=401,016,101.00. The other contract was the supply, construction and installation of turbine power station worth =N=4,256,076,000.00 in 2000.

iv. The second contract was about 60% completed when Mr. Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide left Negris and suddenly became the consultant to Rivers State on the same contract using his then newly formed company, Rockson Engineering Company Limited. The remaining payment for the Negris contract were routed through his company where the sum of =N=734,764,749.00 is yet to be remitted to Negris.

v. The incorporation of Rockson Engineering in 2000 immediately he left Negris marked the beginning of siphoning huge government funds that run into several billions of naira through gas turbines contract scam.

vi. Rivers State Government diverted the sum of =N=30,031,446,589.70 at various times to account number CA6010914407 at zenith Bank Plc belonging to Rockson Engineering Company Limited just between January 07, 2004 to December 06, 2006.

vii. Investigation also revealed that Rockson Engin eering Company Limited has several bank accounts with Bank PHB Plc, Sterling Bank Plc, United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc, First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) Plc, Intercontinental Bank Plc and Union Bank of Nigeria (UBN) Plc. These banks were involved in the inflated contracts between Rivers State Government and Rockson. The statements of accounts from these banks are being awaited to ascertain the magnitude of the inflows of the State Government funds into these
accounts.

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viii. Further investigation disclosed that Dr. Peter Odili curiously approved the remittance of $250,000 to a London-based Swiss Ver Finance, as an arrangement fee for the purchase of two gas turbines transmission towers and accessories.

viv. Mr.Johnson Arumemi-Ikhide has a long-standing relationship with the Governor of Rivers State, Dr. Peter Odili dating back to middle eighties. He served as an interface between Negris and Rivers State Government. He used one of his companies, Ojemai Investment Ltd to acquire a property at No. 67 Trans Amadi Industrial Layout belonging to UTC Nigeria Plc.for the private hospital called Pamo Clinics and Hospitals Ltd, belonging to Dr. Peter Odili the Governor of Rivers State at a cost of =N=200million.

ix. Investigation revealed that funds were diverted from Rivers State Government Account to Rockson Engineering Limited, where it was transferred installmentally between March 2005 to November 2006 from Bank Account Number 6571020007472 with Union Bank Plc. to the following Companies:
a. Alpha System
& Commodity Co. Ltd = N=3, 957,734,700.00
b. Sea Petroleum
& Gas Co. Ltd. = N=6,623,940,500.00
c. Peg Magrect
Shipping & Trading Ltd. =N=638, 320,000.00
d. Wopat Nig. Ltd. =N= 276,100,000.00
e. Dairy & Live-
Stock Ltd. =N=281,000,000.00
f. Arula Investment =N=330, 000,000.00

Total =N= 12,107,105,000.00


It is important to know that investigation has established that all the money was used to purchase foreign exchange which was exported out of the country.

x. It was revealed that the sum of =N= 2,547,300,000.00 was diverted from Government House Zenith Account No. 6010916589 between September 05 and November 06 to one Emmanuel Nkata, a personal staff of the Governor working at the Rivers state liaison office Abuja. All withdrawals were in cash and without any official transaction and documentation.

xi. It was revealed that the contract for the construction of the River State High Court was bidded at =N=2,582,000,000 but was awarded to one Company called Mega Trend investment company Ltd .. at the value of =N=3,4000,000,000 thereby inflating it by =N= 818 Million in violation of the Due Process requirement of the government.

xii. It has also been discovered that a parallel account called account 2, a/c No. 0130215431600 was opened with UBA PLC in the name of Rockson Engineering. From 2001 when the account was opened to 2002, the sum of =N=12,064,988,787.61 was paid into the account from Rivers state Government. Interestingly, Mr. Arumemi-Ikhide denied knowledge of the existent of this account. So far, the sum of =N=12, 059,602,734.20 has been withdrawn from the said account. This is clear evidence of direct looting of the treasury of Rivers state.

xiii..That Government Funds were diverted to the purchase of various vehicles between January 2005 and June 2006 from various car dealers using Government House account number 6010916587 with Zenith Bank as follows:
a. Peugeot Automobile - #424,474,681.75
b. Cosharis Motors - #166,500,000.00
c. Stallion Motors - #230,500,000.00
d. Ningi Motors - # 75,125,000.00
e. Noble Motors - #39,970,062.25
f. Elizade Motors - #135,700,000.00
g. Inej Mic Automobile - #39,875,000.00
h. Kaara Motors Limited - #6,862,500.00
i. Globe Motors Limited - #18,250,000.00
j. Icon Motors Limited - #7,250,000.00
Total = #1,104,008,304.00

This was unquestionably a ploy used to siphon public funds by the Governor, as no Government House can accommodate vehicles purchased with this a mount of money.

xiv. It was further established that Rockson Engineering Company Limited transferred over $120million through JM/JEM Air and one Thomas Eggar, a lawyer in the UK, to various bank accounts overseas. Over GBP2million and EURO 1million were also transferred overseas in the same manner. These transfers were done between January and November 2006. It is important to note that all the naira denomination of these transfers were direct lodgements originating from Rivers state Government accounts.

xv. It has also been established that Mr Arumemi-Ikhide the business partner of the Rivers State Governor, is the owner of ARIK AIR LIMITED. He used monies received from the Rivers state Government to acquire all the assets and aircrafts of the company estimated to be worth over =N= 25billion.

xvi.The Political and business relationship between Dr. Odili and Mr Arumemi-Ikhide has become more obvious since the former’s declaration to run for the Presidency. Investigation conducted at various hotels such as Transcorp Hilton, le Meridien, Sheraton etc in Abuja revealed that the Odili campaign organization made bookings worth =N=130 million through his campaign management team. The money came directly from the accounts of Arik Air Ltd. The origin of the money is linked directly to Mr. Arumemi-Ikhide for Dr. Odili’s campaign.


CONCLUSION.

From the investigation thus=2 0far, it is abundantly clear that the Rivers State Governor, Dr. Peter Odili, is using Mr. Arumemi-Ikhide and his Rockson Engineering Company Ltd as a front and a crony for the systematic looting of the treasury of the Rivers state Government.

The result of this relationship reveals that over =N= 100billion of Rivers State funds have been diverted by the Governor Dr. Odili using Mr. Arumemi- Ikhide and his related companies.

Your Excellency, I must also let you know however, that this Investigation is still apace and that further developments will be communicated to you accordingly.

•Court Papers Shows Ibori's Looting Spree

COURT PAPERS SHOWS IBORI'S LOOTING SPREE

IN THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT OF NIGERIA

HOLDEN BENIN CITY

SUIT NO: FHC/B/CS/862/2007

BETWEEN:

1. ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF DELTA STATE )

2. DELTA STATE GOVERNMENT )

3. DR. IFEANYI OKOWA )..PLAINTIFFS/

(Secretary to the Delta State Government) )..APPLICANTS

4. AUDITOR-GENERAL OF DELTA STATE )

AND

1. ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION)

2. THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, )

(Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) )…DEFENDANTS/

3. THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION )…RESPONDENTS

COUNTER AFFIDAVIT OF 1 ST DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT TO THE MOTION DATED 8 TH OCTOBER 2007.

I, YAHAYA BELLO, Male, Nigerian and Police Officer of 15A Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos State do hereby make oath and state as follows:

1. I am a Superintendent of Police assigned to the 1 st Defendant by the Authorities of the Nigeria Police Force and by virtue of my position I am familiar with the facts of this case.

2. I have the authority and consent of the 1 st and 2 nd Defendants to depose to this affidavit.

3. I am the head of the team of investigators directed by the 1 st Defendant to investigate the allegations of conspiracy, official corruption, diversion and misappropriation of public funds, stealing and money laundering perpetrated by Chief James Ibori and his aides from 1999 – 2007.

4. While paragraphs 1-9 of the affidavit in support of the motion on notice are correct paragraphs 10-29 thereof are not true.

5. Contrary to the averment in paragraph 12 of the supporting affidavit the 1 st Defendant has no plans to harass any official of the Delta State Government.

6. That in further denial of paragraphs 13,14,15,16,17 and 18 of the Applicants’ affidavit the 1 st and 2 nd Defendants/Respondents state that they are guided by the welfare and interest of the citizens of Delta State and would not take steps that will negate the spirit and letters of the law including due process in carrying out its investigative assignments.

7. That in answer to paragraphs 19 and 20 of the Applicants’ affidavit the 1 st and 2 nd Defendants/Respondents deny issuing any threats to the Applicants and has no plans to freeze the accounts of the Delta State Government.

8. That in answer to paragraph 21 of the Applicants’ affidavit the 2 nd Defendant informed and I verily believe that he never granted any such interview where threats were issued on the Applicants.

9. That in denial of paragraph 22 of the Applicants’ affidavit the 1 st and 2 nd Defendants do not intend to ground the activities of the Delta State government but are merely carrying out investigative activities pursuant to the provisions of the EFCC Act 2004 and the request of the London Metropolitan Police in line with the bilateral treaty between Nigeria and United Kingdom.

10. That in denial of paragraph 23(a) of the Applicants’ affidavit the 1 st Defendant never threatened to seal the offices of the various departments of the 2 nd Plaintiff including the Ministry of Finance, the Accountant General’s office and the Auditor-General’s office.

11. That in denial of paragraph 23(b) of the Applicants’ affidavit the 1 st Defendant states that it is not making unlawful efforts to procure and serve freezing orders on the Banks where the 2 nd Plaintiff has or maintains accounts as alleged.

12. That in denial of paragraph 23(c) of the Applicants’ affidavit the 1 st Defendant states that the ongoing efforts of the 1 st Defendant to wipe out economic and financial crimes throughout the country are restoring public confidence and the confidence of foreign investors to invest in Nigeria.

13. The 1 st Defendant has received many petitions alleging the commission of serious economic and financial crimes by Chief James Ibori, his aides and several officials of the Delta State Government.

14. Two of such petitions were sent to the 1 st Defendant by Concerned Elders and Citizens of Delta State from November to December 2006. Attached herewith and marked Exhibits “EFCC1” and “EFCC2” are copies of the said petitions.

15. Some concerned indigenes of Delta State have sued the 1 st Defendant in the Federal High Court over the alleged delay in the prosecution of Chief James Ibori.

16. The investigation carried out by the 1 st Defendant’s team headed by me has revealed the involvement of Chief James Ibori and his accomplices in the following economic and financial crimes:

i. The transfers made into the account of Christine Ibie Ibori (Chief James Ibori’s sister) held in HSBC London was on behalf of Onovin Nig. Ltd., a company solely owned by Vincent Uduaghan, a younger brother to the present governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, the latter who had served as Commissioner for Health and Secretary to the State Government under Ibori’s Administration between 1999 and 2007.

ii. Investigation reveals that Onovin Nig. Ltd. was awarded a contract in December 2004 for laying of tartan tracks in Oghara Stadium at the sum of N142.9 million by the Delta State Government.

iii. That said Onovin Nig. Ltd. had secured the services of another company, a German based firm, BSW Postfach 1180, Deutschland for the supply and laying of the tracks in Ogbara Stadium.

iv. A total of two hundred and eighty four thousand Euros (E 284,000.00) was wired to the German Company by Onovin Nig. Ltd. for the job while another sum of N77.8 million naira equivalent from the contract sum was wired to the account of Christine Ibie Ibori, (Chief James Ibori’s sister) held in HSBC, London about the same time.

v. Further investigation carried out on Onovin Nig Ltd. account revealed some monthly lodgments of Delta State Government cheques of five to seven million naira spanning from 2002 to 2007 to the region N350 million naira which the owner claimed to be payments for the supply of fuel to the Government House from Total Nig. Plc. Depot in Benin, Edo State.

vi. That Total Nig. Ltd. which equally had the same contract for the supply of fuel to the government House denied having any dealings with Onovin Nig. Ltd.

vii. That transfers were made into Udoamaka’s account in HSBC London, which originated from three Assurance Bank Drafts amounting to about N140 million.

viii. That investigation conducted on Udoamaka’s accounts such as Sagicon Nig Ltd., Rivbbed Agro Allied, Saagaris Properties, Global Little Drops held in Oceanic and Zenith Banks revealed several lodgment of Delta State Government cheques in the neighborhood of N2 billion out of which N1.3 billion Naira were paid out between May and December 2006.

ix. That several cash lodgments amounting to N400 Million were also noticed both in the personal “ Pearl” Account and Companies’ accounts by characters such as Ede Ogoro and Charles Isiayei whom the investigation team discovered to be Private Secretary to the Governor of Delta State and Chief Accountant of the Delta Government House respectively.

x. That the investigation team also discovered other several cash lodgments running into billions of naira which were also made by the above Ede Ogoro and Charles Isiayei in connivance with some Bank officials into the following accounts: Koln Nig. Ltd., Silhouette travels, Prime Chambers, MER Engineering Ltd., Bainenox Ltd. and so on spanning from 2001 to the last day of James Ibori Administration and purely drawn from the “Security Votes” of the State under the Permanent Secretary, Government House, Asaba.

xi That Prime Chambers, one of the beneficiaries of the billions of naira cash lodgments is owned by Professor Utuama, the present Deputy Governor of the State and a former Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice during Ibori’s administration.

xii That Bainenox Ltd. account in UBA Plc is being operated by Chiedu Ibie, who is also a Director of MER Engineering and Koln Nig. Ltd. Companies believed to be owned by Chief James Ibori.

xiii. That investigation on Wings Aviation reveals an on-going transaction between the Aviation Company and Bombardier Inc. ( Canada) over the purchase of an air craft at the cost of USD 25 million for the personal use of Chief James Ibori.

xiv That payments were made to the UK Solicitors by Wings Aviation Parabola International Corp (a Mauritius based company owned by a Zambian (Edward Shamutete) linked to Chief James Ibori), Copex Management Service, another Mauritius firm on behalf of Erin Aviation, Pamaron Oil and Gas etc. advertisement



xv. That part of the money paid from Nigeria for the purchase of the aircraft was the USD 1 million Dollars paid to the Solicitors by Pamaron Oil and Gas Ltd from Fidelity Bank.

xvi. That further investigation however revealed that the transaction was made on the order of Bi Courtney Ltd. through another company, Flodan Ltd. These two companies which moved money for Chief James Ibori by using another company, BIADOXE Ltd. as a disguise, are owned by the same person.

xvii. That investigation on the acquisition of NAFCON revealed that O-secul Nig. Ltd., a company owned by Mike Orugbo bidded and acquired the company in 2005 for the sum of USD 152 million dollars.

xviii. That during the bid process, the sum of USD 2 million dollars was sourced by Mike Orugbo and paid to the company’s liquidators via a new Nigerian Bank for the sum of N280 million naira issued sometime in August 2005.

xix. That investigation showed that the Oceanic Bank raised the remaining money on behalf of O-secul for the acquisition of the fertilizer company while there exists no evidence of previous banking relationship between O-Secul and Oceanic Bank but the Bank felt comfortable in granting the large facility to the company.

xx. That the sum of USD 46 million dollars was received by the Bank via a Certificate of Capital Importation from Copex Management Service, the same Company that wired money to UK Solicitors for the acquisition of aircraft on behalf of Erin Aviation, this time, on behalf of ‘NOTORE Mauritius’ for the acquisition of 39% of NAFCON now NOTORE chemical industries Nig. Ltd.

xxi That the so-called Notore Mauritius is a group of foreign investors mainly from EMP a US based firm and Egypt Fertilizer Company as claimed while investigation further revealed that the duo were brought into the investment by the same UK Solicitors, Arlington Sharmas.

xxii. That another payment of N4.418 billion was received by Oceanic Bank from Brisbane Ltd. via two Intercontinental Bank Manager’s Cheques for acquisition of 13% of the fertilizer company while Brisbane Ltd. is owned by Henry Imasekha who is also the sole owner of Berkeley Group.

xxiii. That investigation on the origin of the money paid Brisbane however, revealed that in 2001 Mr. Henry Masekha used Bromley Ltd. to secure a loan of N2.2 billion naira from New Nigeria Bank without any collateral or evidence of previous Banking relationship with the Bank and purchased 10% of Econet Nigeria Ltd. (now Celtel) while few weeks later ‘Delta State Government’ bought 5% of the Econet shares from Bromley Ltd. at the sum of N2.5 billion naira via a Standard Trust Bank Draft which he used in liquidating the New Nigeria Bank facility.

xxiv. That in 2006 during the taking over of V-mobile by Celtel, Bromley Ltd. sold the remaining shares to Celtel and it is from this money that Brisbane Ltd. acquired 13% of the fertilizer company.

xxv. That investigation on share placements in Nigerian banks and companies revealed the diversion of N5 Billion from the accounts of the Delta State Government in Oceanic Bank and Zenith Bank for the purchase of Afribank shares for Chief James Ibori. The fraudulent transactions were perpetrated through the use of 14 fictitious companies such as Double Dip Nig. Ltd., Arusha Nig. Ltd., Abajim Nig Ltd., Lugba Nig. Ltd., Mombassa Nig. Ltd., Limpopo Nig. Ltd., Zaragoza Nig. Ltd., Sandton Nig. Ltd. etc.

xxvi. That the 1 st Defendant’s/ Respondent’s intervention succeeded in putting a stop to the diversion of the funds to Chief Ibori’s private hands and recovered the said funds with even a benefit of capital gain on the investment.

xxvii. That the funds have since been returned to the coffers of the Delta State Government to enable the Government carry out valuable projects for the people of Delta State.

xxviii. That investigation on allegations of public funds diversion to acquire

Wilbros Nig. Ltd., a multinational oil servicing firm in Port

Harcourt sometime in 2006.

xxix That the said Wilbros Nig. Ltd was acquired for USD 155 million by a new established company Ascot Offshore Nig. Ltd. registered and solely owned by Mr. Henry Imasekha, the same character moving funds in Celtel, Oando and NOTORE chemical industries.

xxx. That on the assumption of office as Governor of Delta State in 2003 Chief James Ibori declared having only four(4) properties he acquired from 1995 and 1999 all valued at N100 million naira and seven (7) plots of land acquired between 1983 and 2000 with a total value of N5 million naira. Our investigation has so far revealed the acquisition of over 20 properties in and outside Nigeria by Chief James Ibori.

xxxi. That our enquiries also confirmed allegation of massive fraud and theft of public funds against Chief James Ibori in collaboration with the State House of Assembly members using supplementary budget as disguise.

xxxii. That supplementary appropriation was sent to the State Assembly for the approval of over N40 billion naira between 1999 and 2005 accompanied with executive letters all dated 2004 signed by Chief Ibori for the requests. The proceeds of this massive fraud are currently being traced.

xxxiii. Several billions of Naira meant for “Security Vote” by the Delta

State Government from 1999-2007 were diverted by Chief James

Ibori and his collaborators.

17. That based on the foregoing the 1 st Defendant/Respondent has concluded investigation into the aforesaid allegations of serious economic and financial crimes and is ready to prosecute all those found to be culpable in the circumstances.

18. Apart from the foregoing the 1 st Defendant has also been directed by the Federal Government to assist the Metropolitan Police in the investigation of money laundering offences allegedly committed in the United Kingdom by Chief James Ibori and three of his personal aides. Attached herewith and marked Exhibit EFCC 3 is a copy of the letter of the 3 rd Defendant dated 28 th September, 2007.

19. Following the directive of the Federal Government the 1 st Defendant has assisted the Metropolitan Police in the said investigation of money laundering offences committed in the United Kingdom by Chief James Ibori and his aides.

20. Chief James Ibori has not filed any case against the Defendants as his civil rights have neither been violated nor threatened in the course of the comprehensive investigation embarked upon by the 1 st Defendant.

21. Chief James Ibori was not arrested but invited to assist the 1 st Defendant in the investigation of his alleged involvement in serious economic and financial crimes.

22. Chief James Ibori responded to our invitation and made useful statements in the course of the investigation and was therefore granted bail in self recognizance.

23. Public officers in the service of the Delta State Government and private persons including officials of banks and other corporate bodies have also made statements in connection with the allegations of fraud, theft and money laundering running into several billions of naira belonging to the Government of Delta State.

24. The Plaintiffs have benefited from the investigation conducted so far by the 1 st Defendant as the sum of N5 billion illegally diverted by Chief James Ibori to acquire shares for himself has been recovered and paid back to the coffers of the Delta State Government.

25. The Authorities of the United Kingdom and Nigeria are currently involved in recovering other ill-gotten assets of Chief James Ibori and his fronts for the benefit of the people of Delta State.

26. Several assets worth £35 million (Thirty Five Million Pounds) overseas alleged to be proceeds of crime and traced to Chief James Ibori have been frozen by a British Court.

27. Instead of co-operating with the Defendants to recover the looted wealth of the impoverished people of Delta State the Plaintiffs are using the machinery of government to frustrate the investigation and prosecution of criminal suspects.

28. The Plaintiffs rushed to file this suit on October 8, 2007 in order to frustrate the investigation and prosecution of Chief James Ibori and his aides.

29. Before the order ex parte was issued by this Honourable Court the 1 st Defendant had concluded its investigation and would have charged the said Chief James Ibori to Court but for the fact that he secretly left the country.

30. That the restraining order sought by the Applicants is designed to shield criminal suspects from prosecution and thereby promote corruption and abuse of office with impunity.

31. That I make this declaration in good faith.

…………….

DEPONENT

SWORN TO at the Federal High

Court Registry, Benin City

This…………. Day of ………….. 2007

BEFORE ME

COMMISSIONER FOR OATHS

FOR SERVICE ON:

THE PLAINTIFFS’ COUNSEL

KEN E. MOZIA & CO.

81 MISSION ROAD ,

BENIN CITY



IN THE FEDERAL HIGH COURT OF NIGERIA

HOLDEN BENIN CITY

SUIT NO: FHC/B/CS/862/2007

BETWEEN:

1. ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF DELTA STATE )

2. DELTA STATE GOVERNMENT )

3. DR. IFEANYI OKOWA )..PLAINTIFFS/

(Secretary to the Delta State Government) )..APPLICANTS

4. AUDITOR-GENERAL OF DELTA STATE )

AND

1. ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL CRIMES COMMISSION)

2. THE EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, )

(Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) )…DEFENDANTS/

3. THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION )…RESPONDENTS

NOTICE OF PRELIMINARY OBJECTION advertisement



TAKE NOTICE that at the hearing of the Plaintiffs’/Applicants’ Motion on Notice for Interlocutory Injunction dated 8 th of October 2007 the 1 st and 2 nd Defendants will raise a Preliminary

i. The Honourable Court lacks the jurisdiction to entertain the substantive suit as it has no judicial power to confer immunity on persons reasonably suspected to have committed serious economic and financial crimes.

ii. The substantive action is incompetent, frivolous, vexatious and an abuse of court process.

PARTICULARS

a. By virtue of the provision of the Economic and Financial Crimes Act 2004 and Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2004 the 1 st Defendant is empowered to investigate allegations of conspiracy, official corruption, misappropriation of public funds, stealing and money laundering perpetrated by past and serving officials of the Delta State Government.

b. The former and current officials of the Delta State Government are not immune from investigation in respect of allegations of sundry economic and financial crimes perpetrated from 1999 to date.

c. The 1 st Defendant’s letter Reference No: CR:300/EFCC/ABJ/ASO/ TM.3/Vol.2/321 dated 6 th June 2001 is within the purview of the statutory duties and functions assigned to the 1 st Defendant by virtue of the Economic and Financial Crimes Act 2004 and Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2004.

d. The Federal High Court lacks the competence to prevent the 1 st Defendant from carrying out its statutory duties and functions.

e. By virtue of the Agreement Between the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland concerning the investigation and prosecution of crime and the confiscation of the proceeds of crime, 1989 Nigeria is under an obligation to assist the United Kingdom in the investigation of money laundering charges involving Chief James Ibori and his personal aides.

ALTERNATIVELY

AN ORDER SETTING ASIDE the ex parte order granted by this Honourable Court on the 9 th day of October, 2007.

GROUNDS
There was no urgency warranting the grant of ex parte order on 9/10/2007 on the basis of a letter written to the Plaintiffs on 6/6/2007.

The Plaintiffs suppressed and conceded material facts in the affidavit in support of the motion ex parte.

There ex parte order has shielded former and current public officers in Delta State including those who are not parties to the suit from investigating and prosecution on account of economic and financial crimes committed by them.

The Honourable Court lacks the vires to restrain the 1 st Defendant from arresting, investigating and prosecuting criminal suspects accused of engaging in financial and economic crimes.

The ex parte order is at large and seeks to preclude the 1 st and 2 nd Defendants from discharging their statutory responsibilities under the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment Act) 2004.

Dated this…………day of October, 2007

……………………………….

W.K. SHITTU ESQ.

W.K. SHITTU & CO.

1 ST DEFENDANT’S COUNSEL

93 ALLEN AVENUE ,

IKEJA, LAGOS

FOR SERVICE ON:

THE PLAINTIFFS’ COUNSEL

KEN E. MOZIA & CO.

81 MISSION ROAD ,

BENIN CITY

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