April 1, 2008
Henry Okah and Edward Atatah, two leaders of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), currently held by the Nigerian government on charges of treason and weapon possession will tomorrow be arraigned in Jos, the state capital of Plateau in North Central Nigeria.
Saharareporters could not confirm the venue, but a reliable source told our correspondent that the two men’s arraignment is expected to be in "camera" following a court order granted by Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Our source indicated that the prosecutors are already concerned about that their case might collapse for want of witnesses. Several Niger Delta militants who had been lined up as government witnesses may have pulled out of the deal.
The biggest blow to the government’s case may come from Alhaji Asari Dokubo, a leader of the militancy who was widely touted as a "star witness." Mr. Dokubo, who has had a difficult relationship with Okah, was courted to testify against the duo of Okah and Atatah. But in a surprising twist, Mr. Dokubo left Nigeria for South Korea tonight, on the eve of the commencement of the trial in Jos.
A close source to Dokubo told Saharareporters that the militant leader could not have agreed to be a government witness. He would not elaborate further.
An Ijaw activist, who did not want his name in print, told Saharareporters that the idea behind using other militants as federal witnesses was a strategy adopted by the government to prolong the Niger Delta crisis and turn the Ijaw activists in the area against one another. “It’s the government that benefits from our internal wrangling,” said the source. “That’s why they want brother to turn against brother while they exploit the oil resources of the area for their selfish purposes.”
Another Niger Delta activist who is based in the U.S. told Saharareporters that the government’s strategy was akin to the black-on-black violence instigated by the South African apartheid regime to prolong white rule in South Africa.
Just as the Federal authorities revealed the beginning of the trial tomorrow, Mr. Femi Falana, whose firm represents Okah and Atatah, indicated that they had applied for bail for the two suspects. The bail application, filed on March 25 2005 at the Federal High Court Abuja, requests the court to grant the two individuals bail pursuant to the relevant sections of the Nigerian constitution and the penal code.
Saharareporters could not confirm the venue, but a reliable source told our correspondent that the two men’s arraignment is expected to be in "camera" following a court order granted by Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Our source indicated that the prosecutors are already concerned about that their case might collapse for want of witnesses. Several Niger Delta militants who had been lined up as government witnesses may have pulled out of the deal.
The biggest blow to the government’s case may come from Alhaji Asari Dokubo, a leader of the militancy who was widely touted as a "star witness." Mr. Dokubo, who has had a difficult relationship with Okah, was courted to testify against the duo of Okah and Atatah. But in a surprising twist, Mr. Dokubo left Nigeria for South Korea tonight, on the eve of the commencement of the trial in Jos.
A close source to Dokubo told Saharareporters that the militant leader could not have agreed to be a government witness. He would not elaborate further.
An Ijaw activist, who did not want his name in print, told Saharareporters that the idea behind using other militants as federal witnesses was a strategy adopted by the government to prolong the Niger Delta crisis and turn the Ijaw activists in the area against one another. “It’s the government that benefits from our internal wrangling,” said the source. “That’s why they want brother to turn against brother while they exploit the oil resources of the area for their selfish purposes.”
Another Niger Delta activist who is based in the U.S. told Saharareporters that the government’s strategy was akin to the black-on-black violence instigated by the South African apartheid regime to prolong white rule in South Africa.
Just as the Federal authorities revealed the beginning of the trial tomorrow, Mr. Femi Falana, whose firm represents Okah and Atatah, indicated that they had applied for bail for the two suspects. The bail application, filed on March 25 2005 at the Federal High Court Abuja, requests the court to grant the two individuals bail pursuant to the relevant sections of the Nigerian constitution and the penal code.
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