Sacrificial Lamb::The director general of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr. Emmanuel Enarune Imohe, has been fired.

The director general of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr. Emmanuel Enarune Imohe,
has been fired from his job by Umaru Yar'Adua over a directive issued by his office to the
permanent secretary of foreign affairs, Joe Keshi, ordering the international passports of two
former officials of the Obasanjo regime - Nuhu Ribadu and Nasir El Rufai, not to be renewed.
Saharareporters is also in possession of a letter written by Ambassador Joe Keshi to the
Director-General of the NIA after he had obeyed the instruction, protesting that it could backfire
on the government. In it, he said the decision might portray the government poorly before the
international community "as a government that is too sensitive to criticism," and
suggested that the best response to El Rufai's "menace" was to have ignored him.
Saharareporters last Saturday published the controversial memo from the NIA. Our sources
said Yar'adua directed Mr. Imohe to quit this morning after claiming that he was unaware of the
directive to deny Ribadu and El Rufai consular services in Nigerian missions abroad.
Our sources said when the news of El Rufai's denial of passport renewal first hit the
presidency, all the officials were summoned to find out who might have been responsible for the
action. They all denied involvement, claiming that Ribadu and El Rufai were merely out to
embarrass the federal government abroad, since the seven days required for El Rufai's
passport to be renewed had not elapsed.
But Saharareporters' publication of the memo from the NIA as well as the cable sent to
Nigerian consular missions by Ambassador Joe Keshi broke the matter open,. It confirmed to
Nigerians that an illegal directive had indeed been issued from the top abrogating the rights of
Ribadu and El-Rufai,and nobody could deny the authenticity of the documents.
Yar'Adua, "embarrassed" by the public outcry over the draconian directive, has
also reversed Joe Keshi's directive to foreign missions not to issue or renew the international
passports of the duo.
Analysts say Mr. Imohe may simply have been expended to help Yar'Adua save face, as it
is most unlikely he would have caused such a directive to be given in the name of the highest
level, without authorization. One of the ambassadors who did not want to be named told
Saharareporters that when he tried confirming the source of the directive with Aso Rock,
Yar'Adua told him that the duo of Ribadu and El Rufai could go and get their passports from
Obama.
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