November 25, 2009
FROM FESTUS KEYAMO TO OMOYELE SOWORE,
Dear Mr. Omoyele Sowore,
Thank you so much for your letter dated the 7th of January,
2009, which you sent to me via e-mail. In fact, I was just
settling down the next day to digest some of the information
you supplied when I got calls from many quarters that the
letter was already on the internet inviting comments from
the public. I want to thank you for your wisdom in doing
this because for people like you and I who insist on
transparency in public life, we cannot be exchanging letters
that imply so much behind the scenes.
So, even though you did not inform me of the open nature of
the letter to me except that I got to know from
well-wishers, I am informing you that this reply will be
on-line for the public to digest just as yours also was.
Fair enough, I guess?
Let me briefly comment on the personal nature of the letter
you addressed to me. People may not know, but we have known
each other for nearly fifteen years now, especially from my
days in Gani Fawehinmi Chambers when some of us formed the
National Conscience (not a party then) to fight the
military. You were then a student at the University of
Lagos, but I cannot remember whether you joined the movement
then. I only remember a few years later when you had
problems with cult members whom you claimed you were
fighting and we all believed you. Your confrontation with
them led to your abduction by the cultists from whose hands
you were later rescued. When you graduated shortly after,
you visited my office then at Maryland a number of times to
intimate me of your intentions to travel abroad to treat
yourself. According to you, the poisonous substances that
were injected into your body by the cultists, needed to be
flushed out of your system.
A few papers reported this at that time. Then, I remember
you had no job. You eventually travelled abroad on medical
grounds to "flush the poisonous substances from your
system". As a friend, let me apologise for not following
the treatment for more than ten years now, even when you
visited me when you were in Nigeria a few years ago. I hope
the treatment is going on well in the U.S? Even though it is
more than ten years, I know these treatments take some time.
Please, send some of the duly authenticated medical records
to me as a friend for me to know how far the treatment has
gone. You may also wish to make it public like the previous
letter to me. This may dispel any insinuation from bad
people that you falsified medical papers to travel abroad in
search of a better life which is the worst form of
corruption. Just as you said you admired my activist
credentials, I can also vouch for you that you are still
undergoing treatment till today. Please, send the records.
Now, to the contents of your letter. As I do not intend to
leave anything out, I will take phrases and sentences
piecemeal and make my comments on them:
"WE ARE DISTURBED THAT A VOCAL CRITIC AND ANTI-CORRUPTION
ACTIVIST OF YOUR STATURE HAS MAINTAINED STOIC SILENCE ABOUT
THE EXTENSIVE ACTS OF CORRUPTION AND COLLUSION WITH CORRUPT
SERVING OR FORMER PUBLIC OFFICIALS PETPETRATED BOTH BY MRS.
WAZIRI AND NIGERIA'S CHIEF LAW OFFICER, ATTORNEY GENERAL
MICHAEL AONDOAKAA"
Since assumption of office by Michael Aondoakaa as the
Attorney-General of the Federation and Mrs. Farida Waziri as
the Chairperson of E.F.C.C, there has been insinuations and
rumours about the corrupt activities of the duo. I will be
the last to defend them (or any public officer for that
matter) over these allegations. I cannot stick out my neck
for anyone, including the Ribadu you have spent so much time
defending, giving the impression that your attack on Waziri
and Aoadoakaa is a Ribadu agenda (even though, as I know
you, it may not be true). I will also be the last to crucify
them over these allegations.
The reason is that I did not have documents to authenticate
the facts. (You just sent some now by e-mail which I will
come to shortly). If I speak up every time I hear a rumour
on corruption without documentation, I will soon be seen as
a public nuisance rather than as an activist. All my
previous crusades have been with documents. Some examples
are:
(a) When I took on Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi in 1999, I
presented certified copies of court records showing how he
was charged for 419 and jumped bail.
(b) When I took on the Bola Ige case, I presented
certified affidavits, audio cassettes, visual cassettes, and
hand-written statements of Fryo to the public which led to
the impeachment of Iyiola Omisore and his eventual trial.
Even the recant by Fryo could not change the situation.
(c) When I took on the operators of the Police
Equipment Fund, I presented a barrage of documents to
law-enforcement agents and the public which led to their
arrest and prosecution and the end of that scam.
(d) When I recently took on the House of
Representatives, I presented documents to back up my facts
that even a weak denial of those documents could not prevent
the on-going investigation in that regard.
There are many more, but that has been my modus operandi.
But in this case, apart from the non-existence of documents
regarding these rumours of corrupt practices, I have been
very careful in this case because it is the very people that
have, at one time or the other either transferred some
powers from Ribadu or replaced him in his previous office
that have been branded as "corrupt". I am sure if Jesus
has replaced Ribadu, Jesus would have also been termed
"corrupt". The simple reason, I suspect is that, there
may be a subtle campaign to make anyone coming after Ribadu
fail in that office. But the office does not belong to
Ribadu's family, and that is not patriotism. In fact, I
wonder what would have happened if Ribadu had stayed for
eight years in that office when he would not be eligible for
"re-appointment". Maybe, his friends would have
campaigned for amendment of the law for him to stay on for
life. It is the Nigerian mentality of
"only-me-must-succeed", even when the so-called
"success" is hyped beyond what it was by his friends in
the media.
These are just my suspicions. I do not have documents to
back up my claim except for the refusal of Ribadu to come
forward to give a proper account (not the three-page
handover note to Lamorde) when invited to do so and the
refusal to name 31 governors he alleged that the E.F.C.C had
completed investigations against.
But despite these suspicious, I am still on the alert.
Whenever, I see duly authenticated documents on corruption
against either Waziri or Aondoakaa, I will speak up. I will
not maintain a "stoic silence".
"IT WOULD BE SAD IF YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE EFCC
BECOMES AN EXCUSE TO SHIRK YOUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A
SELF-AVOWED PUBLIC CONSCIENCE AND COMMENTATOR ON MATTER OF
CORRUPTION, ABUSE OF OFFICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS"
The suggestion here is that because I am now a private
prosecutor to the E.F.C.C, I will be impeded in my various
crusades.
I want to assure you that this cannot be farther from the
truth. I am just a private prosecutor for the E.F.C.C, not
an employee. My views cannot be impeded because of the
assistance I give to that body, and it is an assignment I
took up without first asking or negotiating for a kobo. It
was patriotism simpliciter. Do not forget that I am also
prosecuting the operators of the Police Equipment Fund for
the Police FREE OF CHARGE. Since I took up the challenge of
prosecuting suspected corrupt persons on behalf of E.F.C.C,
I have continued to constructively criticize the Federal
Government's many anti-people policies. I have variously
referred to the Yar'Adua's regime as "illegitimate"
because of the way the elections that heralded him was
conducted, and of course orchestrated by your good friend
and anti-corruption "czar", Ribadu.
I have taken Aondoakaa to court and the Federal Government
and I am still in court with them over the appointment of
Service Chiefs without legislative approval. I have also
taken the Inspector-General of Police to court to compel him
to arrest and prosecute Obasanjo over the Odi and Tiv
massacre. I am still in court over that. Moreover, I
defended and I am still defending your fellow online
journalists arrested by this government FREE OF CHARGE.
These are Jonathan Elendu and Emmanuel Asivwe. I am also
defending one of the editor of the Leadership Newspapers
charged to court by this government FREE OF CHARGE. I
defended Channels Television and all its editors, including
the CEO John Momoh, FREE OF CHARGE when this government
clamped down on them. If you eventually run into problems
with some of this your stories, whether they are true or
not, I will be there to defend you FREE OF CHARGE if you
require my services.
Therefore, I cannot hobnob with those in government and
shirk my social responsibility. I laughed so much when I
read a mischief maker say he saw me one day in the office of
Attorney-General. Ignorance, at times, can be so
embarrassing. I do not know of a busy lawyer with good
briefs that will not have one thing or the other to do every
week in the office of the Attorney-General of a State or the
Federation – either in the Directorate of Public
Prosecutions or Directorate of Civil Litigations, or just
following up letters or complaints, on behalf of clients, to
the office of the Attorney-General.
My friend Sowore, I have worked hard and I am comfortable.
There is nothing I will gain from prosecuting for the
E.F.C.C other than the satisfaction of contributing to the
anti-corruption crusade. I do not have too much, but allow
me the immodesty to say that I have a few fully built landed
properties in choice areas of Lagos and Abuja. My
three-storey office complex which I built about three years
ago in FESTUS KEYAMO LANE, ANTHONY VILLAGE has about 18
lawyers and 12 support staff.
My Abuja office building in Zone 6 which I bought about two
years ago has many lawyers and support staff. The houses
which I stay in both cities are my personal properties
acquired through the sweat of my brow without a single brief
from Government. I drive descent cars that even the rich
also drive. What more do I want? My needs are not much. I
live a restricted life. I do not like unnecessarily
expensive things that display wealth. I am not hungry.
As a result, I will not toe the path of very prominent
radical lawyers who were heavily paid consultants to
Ribadu's E.F.C.C and kept a "stoic silence" when the
following corrupt practices happened under Ribadu:
(a) When Ribadu accused lawmakers in Ekiti, Bayelsa and
Plateau States of gross corruption and arrested them at
different times. After signing impeachment notices against
their various governors at various times, that was the end
of the allegations of corruption and abuse of office against
them. In fact one of these lawyers who initially said he
would defend the EFCC free of charge, later collected Six
Million Naira from the EFCC under Ribadu. The case was lost
by the EFCC at the Supreme Court. I am not aware the
lawmakers were even charged to court. In Bayelsa State, one
of them became the Deputy Governor and in Ekiti State one of
them became the Acting Governor.
(b) When Ribadu refused to arrest and prosecute the
likes of Bode George and Andy Uba, despite large outcry from
the press.
(c) When, in the sale of Russel Center, a property
priced and assessed at N3.2 Billion suddenly dwindled to
N2.3 Billion under Ribadu's watch (I have the documents).
Ribadu was later to say it was his lawyers that handled the
sale, not himself! Haba!
I cannot remember whether you wrote letters to these
prominent lawyers at that time asking why they kept "stoic
silence". It must have been an oversight by you. Even the
silence you kept too must have been an oversight by you. But
I remember I spoke up against all these acts of corruption
and abuse of office.
THE DOCUMENTS YOU SUPPLIED
(1) ON CASH WITHDRAWALS FROM E.F.C.C ACCOUNT
I unreservedly condemn any withdrawal of funds from the
public till without a clear purpose. However, you had no
document to back this claim and how the money was
misappropriated. Please, let me have the documents when you
have them so we can fight this together. Please let me also
have a comparative table on amounts spent by Ribadu in
running the E.F.C.C monthly so we can make proper
deductions.
(2) ON PROPERTY AT 10 PORT NOVO STREET, WUSE II, ABUJA
I condemn any acquisition of public property by a public
office holder without a clear source of the money. However,
you had no document at all to back this claim. You said
Waziri paid a deposit of N5 million naira, and "it was not
clear how Mrs. Waziri paid the balance of N45 million
naira". As a result, anytime you become sure of your
facts, please do let me know.
PROPERTY AT PLOT 1460 OF 25 TRENT RIVER STREET, MAITAMA
According to you, this property was allocated to her, like
many other prominent Nigerians whom you listed. It was later
revoked and taken away from her. Maybe, as a public servant
she could not pay for it. However, you claimed that one
Zainab Naomi Salawu, who is her daughter, later acquired the
land.
I want to assume that it is true that Zainab is Farida's
daughter. But this case is exactly the case of Ribadu. In
2005, Ribadu was offered a palatial home in Maitama by
El-Rufai, whom he saw nothing wrong against throughout his
tenure (we now know better!) for forty-five million naira.
Ordinarily, that house should have cost triple that amount.
Ribadu, like Farida, claimed he had no money to pay for it.
So he approached his father-in-law, Professor Ilya Abubakar,
who provided the money!
I do not see the crime Ribadu committed by approaching his
father-in-law to provide the funds for him. I have never
raised issues about this. And for me to be consistent on
this, I do not also see the crime Farida Waziri committed by
renouncing the land and for her daughter who is married (and
can get money form her husband) to later buy it. Like in
Ribadu's case, I will not criticize her yet, unless I see
evidence that the funds used by her daughter was corruptly
acquired or taken E.F.C.C.
MERCEDEZ BENZ GL GIFT FROM GOVERNOR GODSWILL AKPABIO
This is the simplest thing to which I can respond. When the
operators of the Police Equipment Fund got desperate to
tarnish me, they alleged they gave me a Jeep and Ten Million
Naira. No single document backed their claim. No Bill of
lading by which the car was imported, no chassis no., e.t.c.
I told the public to disregard them.
How then can I then turn around and accuse someone else of
the same thing without a single document? Haba! But your
story may be substantially true. It may also be substantially false.
Just provide evidence and we shall fight this together.
Like I said before, I fight with evidence.
ON RIBADU'S ALLEGED HOUSES ABROAD
Like in the case of Waziri, I will never accuse Ribadu of
acquiring properties abroad without proper documentation.
Check my public speeches. I have never done that. In fact
you spent a lot of time, energy and skill showing in graphic
form how people COULD HAVE lied that Ribadu owns properties
abroad. That is your prerogative and I will not criticize
you for that. I will only caution that you cannot stick your
neck out for a public officer, like I will never do, whether
it is for Waziri or Ribadu.
Think about that. Your conclusion that all the allegations
against Ribadu have been "investigated" by you and found
to be untrue betrays a bias that is deep-seated on this
issue. Do not be caught in an embarrassing position. You are
not a detective or a law-enforcement agent. Keep your mind
open.
What I have done and I continue to do is to say I disagree
with those who now seek to build our collective struggle to
enthrone a corrupt-free society around a policeman who was
picked by a corrupt dictator, bent on perpetuating himself
in office, to do his bidding. And when it came to the
crunch, this same policeman refused to lift a finger,
despite a mass of evidence against the following persons and
more:
(1) Andy Uba who was caught smuggling dollars to the
U.S ( I have the documents and I went to court over this)
(2) Alao-Akala whom Ribadu called a thief publicly. (I
have the publications)
(3) Bode George who was indicted by an investigative
panel. (I have the report)
(4) Fani-Kayode, who was the Man Friday of Obasanjo,
and who was alleged to be involved in corrupt practices. (I
have the documents and I am prosecuting)
(5) Kenny Martins who is an in-law to Obasanjo and
looted public funds in the name of the Police (I have the
documents and I am in court over this)
(6) Professor Borishade who the Senate rejected many
times as a Minister and was re-nominated many times by
Obasanjo, and was later linked to corrupt practices (I have
the documents)
(7) Iyabo Obasanjo, the daughter to Obasanjo (who has
been charged to court for corruption)
( El-Rufai, the known acolyte of Obasanjo (who has
been declared wanted for corruption)
My brother, Sowore, I will never deify the person who
failed to act against these individuals, but rather brought
out a list of over 100 politicians indicted for corruption
when many of them never knew they were being investigated or
were they even invited for questioning. All was in a bid to
prevent them from running for offices to satisfy Obasanjo.
I don't forget history easily, that is why my position on
Ribadu is what it is. I am not a politician, so I am not
looking for votes from the public. As a result, my positions
on matters are not dictated by popular sentiments,
especially built by the Press, even when my conscience and
thinking say otherwise. I take my positions based on my
deep-seated convictions and beliefs, even if the world is
going the other way. For instance, Chief Gani Fawehinmi,
whom we all respect so much, has been defending in court
those allegedly corrupt drug dealers, accused and charged to
court for attempting to murder another anti-corruption
amazon, Dora Akunyili, despite popular sentiment. The case
is still at the Supreme Court. But Gani still stands tall in
his beliefs.
Fortunately, Sowore, we have agreed on so many things in
the past, but have disagreed on the singular issue of the
Ribadu saga. But I still respect your opinion, and I hope
you respect mine as well. In future we shall agree on other
issues.
Since assuming office, Farida Waziri, have either charged
those listed above as "untouchables" to court and
declared some of them wanted. That is not to say she is a
saint. That is not to say I can vouch for her. But these are
the facts as I have them. And I prefer to work with facts.
I rest my case.
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });