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What Did OBJ and Uba Bring To The USA in the Presidential Plane this Time?

December 21, 2006
Image removed.
Pres. Obasanjo and his former aide Emmanuel Nnamdi (Andy) Uba came to the USA on the presidential plane last week for the Sullivan event in New York.  The criminal charges petition against Andy Uba to the US Government is still pending.  After decision by the US Department of Justice (USDOJ) Andy Uba may be arrested if he comes back to the USA again next time and charged with criminal offences.

Loretta Mabinton AKA "MamaEJ" (Mama Escape Justice) pix by Tom Oliver (Willamette Week, Portland, OR)                        

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Copy of the petition to the US government and the EFCC to press criminal charges against Andy Uba...

 

December 1, 2006

 

Email:  [email protected]

 

 

The Hon. Alberto R. Gonzales

The United States Attorney General

United States Department of Justice

950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20530-0001

 

Dear Mr. Attorney General:

 

Re:  Complaint Against the Nigerian President Obasanjo and His Aides on Money Smuggling Activities

 

Over the last few years, to our dismay, a few disingenuous Nigerians and some of them at the highest level of government have through their questionable behaviors continued to destroy the reputation of the hardworking and law abiding Nigerian people around the world and especially here in the United States of America.

 

In Nigeria today, due to the culture of corruption in high places, very often corrupt and criminal behaviors are rewarded. Thus corrupt and morally bankrupt individuals are elevated to a higher position while many of the law enforcement organizations look the other way. Therefore, we have no option but to file this complaint here in the United States.  

 

We, the undersigned, concerned United States / Nigerian citizens and residents, hereby officially bring to the attention of the United States government and its relevant agencies the existence of a systematic act of money laundering activities perpetrated by President Obasanjo and his entourage during his numerous visits to the US and its affiliated territories.

 

Our petition stems from a recent outbreak of news reports on www.Saharareporters.com, an internet-based news agency in the US, as well as credible local Nigerian media outlets, especially the Nigerian Guardian newspaper. These sources have provided serious follow ups to the story regarding President Obasanjo's former Senior Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Nnamdi (aka Andy) Uba who was heavily indicted.  (See attachment – sworn affidavit of United States Secret Service (USSS), Mark Kehoe and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Agent Guy Gino dated 12/12/2005 to a US District Court in Portland, Oregon). 

 

Also refer to the civil forfeiture case: CV 05 1939 MA that was recently settled out of court between the US Attorney’s Office in Portland, Oregon and Nigeria's President Obasanjo's Senior Special Assistant on Domestic Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Uba and his self-acclaimed “fiancée” Ms. Loretta Inei Mabinton.

 

Nigerian government official, former Senior Special Assistant to President Obasanjo on Domestic Affairs, Mr. Emmanuel Nnamdi (aka Andy) Uba smuggled large sums of money into the United States on September 20, 2003 on the former Nigerian Presidential plane. Mr. Uba entered the United States with a non-immigrant Visa, G-2 classification (other representative of a recognized government to the international organization / family) issued on September 15, 2003. 

 

We believe that the US educated Mr. Uba and the Harvard Law School graduate Ms. Mabinton’s actions knowingly violated sections of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (USA PATRIOT Act) of 2001, P.L. 107-56, 115 Stat. 272 and the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 (H.R. 3199), especially Title III. §308 that covers smuggling and money laundering activities. 

 

[This questionable behavior of the Nigerian government officials also violates the US Statues and Codes for smuggling goods into the US as predicated in 18 U.S.C. §545; violates the offense of money laundering under 18 U.S.C. §1595a (d), violates the offence of smuggling of United States currency into the United States pursuant to 31 U.S.C. §5332 and failure to report the importation of monetary instruments totaling over $10,000.00 pursuant to 31 U.S.C. §5316(a).]

 

As you can deduce clearly from the statements of sworn affidavit above, there has been a systematic smuggling of cash by Nigerian government officials into the United States to evade border security agents in this nation. These actions run contrary to the laws of the US in manners that are completely criminal.  

 

Knowing the present lack of uniform or rather selective law enforcement in Nigeria and the interconnectedness of the world, we believe this issue presents a “clear and present danger” in the post 9/11 world - that in the future, other things may be smuggled into the United States through diplomatic pouches and Presidential planes by criminal and terrorist organizations. These activities may be not only limited to the Nigerian officials, but may extend to other nations around the world using the Nigerians or may encourage other nations to follow suit, if serious action is not taken to address this issue immediately.

 

Not only was the Nigerian Presidential plane used to break US laws, but also the Nigerian President is directly linked to these violations.  In particular, we draw your attention to page 14 paragraph 2 section (d) of Agent Gino’s sworn affidavit; that part of the money [$45,487.28] that was smuggled into the US on the Nigerian Presidential plane was used by Mr. Uba and Ms. Mabinton to buy and ship farm equipment from Seattle to Obasanjo Farms Nigeria, Ltd, which is owned by the Nigerian President. 

 

To the best of our knowledge, neither has President Obasanjo returned the equipment, nor, even after knowing what has transpired, has he condemned the behavior of his aide Mr. Uba.  To the contrary, there is a campaign in the Nigerian media by the Nigerian government officials to sanitize this specific crime and try to make it into a non-issue. Worse still, there are talks of Mr. Uba running for gubernatorial position in Anambra State in the upcoming elections in 2007.

 

We therefore urge and pray that the US Attorney General's office, the US Department of Homeland Security, and the US State Department, as well as all relevant authorities, act upon our requests as follows:

 

1. As affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling: FORD v. UNITED STATES, 273 U.S. 593 (1927).  US government should impound the Nigerian Presidential plane, 2005, Boeing 737-7N6, Next Gen, [Nigerian registration number: 5N-FGT; Manufacturers Serial Number (MSN): 34260] anytime the plane enters into the US airspace or the airspace of any other nation who has treaty or compact with the US.  We know the plane involved in the smuggling incident was a 1982, Boeing 727-2N6 / Adv (RE) Super 27, Nigerian registration number: 5N-FGN / NGA 001; MSN: 22825.  We urge the US not return the seized plane until such a time when new elections are held and new accountable leaders are sworn in and restored with full diplomatic privileges.

 

2. Remove all “diplomatic pouch” privileges from the Nigerian Presidential delegation to the US and its territories and for the aides to President Obasanjo, including all accompanying state governors. For the remainder of their tenure in office, stop the free pass and require all Nigerian VIPs to be thoroughly searched with the same stringent guidelines as may apply to commercial plane passengers visiting the US.

 

3. Downgrade all Visa classes of the president's family members and his entourage to visiting non-immigrant Visas “B1/B2” without exception from the Visa classification granted to visitors with diplomatic status; or “A1” classification.

 

4. Conduct thorough investigations of all known trips embarked upon by President Obasanjo and his entourage to ascertain how much money had been smuggled by the president and his aides to the US under such circumstances as was documented in the Portland, Oregon case.

 

 

5. Prosecute all known cases of currency smuggling / trafficking and abuse of “diplomatic pouch” privileges by all Nigerian officials.

 

6. Press criminal charges against Mr. Emmanuel “Andy” Uba and Ms. Loretta Mabinton using the massive evidence collected in the civil case as entered by the Special Agents in this case.  We are surprised that only part of this important case was settled without pressing serious charges by the US Attorney's Office in Portland, Oregon.

 

We hope the US government will act upon this request with minimum delay so as to expedite support for Nigeria's war against corruption and official graft.

 

We would also request that the US Treasury Department, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the US Department of Justice  review the non-profit status of the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation and investigate its board members and executives for possible links with money laundering activities involving the President of Nigeria, Mr. Obasanjo.

It is noteworthy that the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation's perennial summits in Abuja, Nigeria provided the platform for US Congressman William J. Jefferson representing the 2nd District of the State of Louisiana, currently under investigation by the FBI for corruption charges, first met with his alleged accomplices in fomenting the shady deals in Nigeria. The Leon H. Sullivan Foundation is again inviting Mr. Obasanjo the US for a Sullivan Foundation event in New York City on December 19, 2006.  http://www.thesullivanfoundation.org/foundation

 

We strongly believe that these issues have far reaching impact on the reputation of both the Nigerian and the US public agencies; as such a decisive action is required to prevent further occurrences and serve as a deterrent to other nations around the world. 

 

Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions and or clarifications on our requests.

 

Thank you,

 

Sincerely,

Dr. Baba Adam, Prescott, AZ USA

 

Prince Charles Dickson, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

Dr. Olatunji Ojeranti, New York, NY USA

Sola Adeleke, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Okonronkwo Hillary, MI USA

Adeola Adedeji, Eket, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Aloy Udoh, Hartford, CT USA

John Enaholo, London, UK

Comrade Chidi Nwosu, Aba, Abia State, Nigeria

Alagba Otitokoro, UK

Idris Usman, Kaduna, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Lazrus Lebechi, Nigeria

Ifeoma Nduka, Enugu, Enugu State, Nigeria

Global Coordinator, Concerned Masses of Nigeria, UK

Margaret Madumere, Lancaster, CA USA

Samuel Madumere, Lancaster, CA USA

Mike Onwukwe, USA

Shola Adeleke Abiola, Nigeria 

Barr. Abdul Jimoh, LLB (Hons), MSc (AIT), MCSE, London UK

Abubakar Chafe Rabiu, Abuja FCT, Nigeria

Titilope Ngozi Akosa, Lagos, Lagos State, Nigeria

 

 

 

Cc:

 

The Hon. Condoleezza Rice, US Secretary of State,

Washington, DC 20520

The Hon. Henry M. Paulson, US Secretary of the Treasury,

Washington, DC 20220

The Hon. Michael Chertoff, US Secretary of Homeland Security, Washington, DC 20528

 

Sen. Pat Roberts, Chairman, US Senate Committee on Intelligence, Washington, DC 20510

Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV, Ranking Member, US Senate Committee

on Intelligence, Washington, DC 20510

 

Hon. Peter Hoekstra, Chairman, US House of Representatives

Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence,

Washington, DC 20515

Hon. Jane Harman, Ranking Member, US House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence,

Washington, DC 20515

 

Mr. John Negroponte, Director of National Intelligence,

the White House, Washington, DC 20511

 

Mr. Robert S. Mueller, III, Director of Federal Bureau Investigation, Washington, DC 20530

 

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Chairman, Economic and Financial Crime Commission, No. 5 Fomella Street, Plot 1017 & 1018, Coree Bay Crescent, Off Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja, Nigeria

 

Sen. Ken Nnamani, President of the Senate, the Senate,

National Assembly, Abuja, Nigeria

 

 

Senator Titus O. Olapitan, Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics and Petition, the Senate, National Assembly, Abuja, Nigeria

Senator J.K Brambaifa, Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics

and Petition, the Senate, National Assembly, Abuja, Nigeria

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