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Terry Waya’s Arrest Linked to Disputed Presidential Election

December 30, 2008
Several senior sources within the State Security Service (SSS) as well as the Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) have disclosed to SaharaReporters that the EFCC’s recent arrest and detention of controversial London-based Nigerian businessman Terry Waya had nothing to do with the alleged extortion of serving and former governors as earlier reported by the Nigerian media.

Instead, these sources confirmed to SaharaReporters that Waya's arrest was in keeping with the desire of Umaru Yar'adua to shut down the talkative Benue-born loafer who has been “speaking too freely about what he knows about President Yar’adua’s efforts to bribe the justices of the Supreme Court hearing an appeal against last year’s presidential election.”


Mr. Waya was released yesterday from EFCC detention without any charges, but was picked up a few minutes later by agents of the State Security Services for questioning.

Mr. Waya was quoted as telling some people that renewed attempts by Yar'adua to bribe Supreme Court justices deciding his case in December would not yield desired results. Our SSS sources said the government found out that Waya, who came to his inexplicable wealth during the Sani Abacha regime, had told several confidantes that Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa, who has been handling the distribution of bribe money, had pocketed much of the money meant to get the job done.

Stung by Waya’s statements, Aondoakaa as well as a few officials in the Presidency persuaded Yar’adua to have Waya picked up.

Our sources revealed that, while it is a fact that Waya has engaged in extortion of some former and serving officials facing EFCC investigation, the decision to arrest him was exclusively based on his potential to jeopardize Yar’adua’s efforts to influence the verdict of the apex court.

A source told SaharaReporters that Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State had written a petition to Yar'adua over attempts by Waya to extort money from him so as to put an end to the corruption charges against the governor and his top aides. But Waya, who briefly fled to his London base during the thick of the allegations, returned to Nigeria after he secured assurances from EFCC chairman, Mrs. Farida Waziri. EFCC sources detailed for us the closeness between Waya and Waziri, and how the EFCC chairman uses Waya as a go-between to collect bribes from targets of the agency’s investigation.

An EFCC source told us that Mrs. Waziri usually gives Waya copies of petitions against former and serving officials. “Waya is then charged to approach the accused people with copies of the petitions and ask for settlement on behalf on Mrs. Waziri.”

The source indicated that Waya and Waziri have amassed so much money from such schemes that Waya “effectively moved back to Abuja in order to play the role of front for Madam.”  

Several sources indicated that Governor Amaechi’s petition to Yar'adua started receiving serious attention only when Yar'adua was briefed that Waya was loyal to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Yar’adua was told that Waya, serving Atiku’s interests, had infiltrated the team Yar'adua had constituted to handle the bribing of the Supreme Court justices.

Our correspondent confirmed that Waya was in Dubai a few months ago in the company of James Ibori at the same time Governor Bukola Saraki of Kwara was junketing all over Europe. Ibori and Saraki had been detailed to help convince Atiku to forgo his Supreme Court case and return to the People's Democratic Party (PDP). We also confirmed that, during one of the meetings in Dubai, Adams Oshiomhole also met with Ibori to discuss his then pending court case to claim the governorship seat in Edo State. Oshiomhole had earlier met with Yar'adua in the company of former Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos to secure Yar'adua's “blessing” for his gubernatorial quest. Oshiomhole’s meeting with Yar’adua took place shortly before the ailing "president" took ill and had to spend 17 days in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Court of Appeal yesterday declared him winner of the governorship election in Edo State.

One source told SaharaReporters that Waya's arrest was aimed at pleasing Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu of the Supreme Court. As one of our earlier reports had indicated, Justice Katsina-Alu has worked assiduously behind the scene to stop the EFCC from further investigating Governor Amaechi and his aides for money laundering.  An SSS source told our correspondent "Waya is just a sacrificial lamb in the ensuing grand design to secure a favorable Supreme Court ruling for President Yar’adua.”

The fall-out between Waya and Aondoakaa is something of a curiosity in Abuja. Waya is known to be extremely close to former Governor James Ibori as well as Aondoakaa, two key figures involved in the scheme to bribe Supreme Court justices. When the attorney general relocated his children to attend schools in England, Waya became the conduit through whom school fees as well as the children’s other expenses were paid, according to our reliable sources. When Yar’adua won the controversial court case at Presidential Elections Tribunal, a huge party was hosted at Waya’s house in Abuja and he also hosted Aondoakaa to a lavish party to celebrate his birthday in a high-end Abuja restaurant in June.

Even so, Aondoakaa has been riled lately by Waya’s statements to his circle of friends accusing the attorney general of “being the greediest man in Abuja.” A source knowledgeable about the role being played by Aondoakaa in the plot to “buy the court,” told SaharaReporters that the minister of justice “has spent close to $30 million in the last two months alone.”

Our source detailed a particular instance of such profligacy. She said that Aondoakaa recently recruited Dr. Maxwell Gidado, a lawyer, to help deliver $1 million to Justice Nikki Tobi, a member of the 7-man panel looking into the Presidential Elections petition. The bribe was to be handed to Justice Tobi as part of the government’s “bereavement fund” to help out in the funeral of the justice’s brother who was slain by armed robbers two weeks ago.

Our source disclosed that Justice Tobi rejected the bribe, saying he believed that Gidado, a former student of his, was being used to set him up. Aondoakaa and Gidado were close colleagues at the University of Maiduguri where they attended Law school and studied under Justice Nikki Tobi. Gidado is believed to be "sitting" on the money so far.

Owing to his brother’s death, Justice Tobi could not attend the first conference of the justices of the Supreme Court on the presidential elections appeal. A correspondent of SaharaReporters has seen the copy of an internal memo issued by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court indicating that the panel met on October 29, 2008 at noon. The internal memo was tagged as SC 274/2007, SC 51/2008, and SC 72/2008. Justice Tobi was absent from the meeting, but attended subsequent conferences on November 5, 2008 and one that took place yesterday (November 11th 2008).

One source within the Presidency told us that, following SaharaReporters’ expose regarding an “understanding” with Supreme Court justices to validate Yar’adua’s “election,” a new round of efforts was started to find other ways out. Atiku, who had all but accepted a deal to return to the PDP, made a tactical retreat and instructed his handlers to step up their anti-Yar’adua rhetoric. But our sources indicated that the project to illicitly influence the verdict of the apex court remains alive.

“The only snag is that your publication has revealed to Nigerians that the Supreme Court was going to auction justice to the highest bidder,” said a lawyer who is familiar with all the behind-the-scene moves.

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