April 22, 2010
The attack on a contingent of Police Forces dispatched to Oghara, Delta State by the Inspector General of Police to effect the arrest of the former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori by armed youths and a militia loyal to him is a very serious matter. It is highly condemned and a threat to the corporate integrity of Nigeria. James Ibori is a controversial politician in Nigeria from all ramifications.
The attack on a contingent of Police Forces dispatched to Oghara, Delta State by the Inspector General of Police to effect the arrest of the former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori by armed youths and a militia loyal to him is a very serious matter. It is highly condemned and a threat to the corporate integrity of Nigeria. James Ibori is a controversial politician in Nigeria from all ramifications.
It is a dangerous dimension to the already precarious security situation in the country for a sly politician with so much money to throw about to be allowed to get away from such affront like ordering his militia to attack and fired at Police Officers who represent the authority of the Federal Government of Nigeria. He was reputed to one of the henchmen of the despicable and ruthless military dictator, late General Sani Abacha at the height of his regiment, which was notorious for corruption and poor human rights records.
Ibori was said to have been very close to the Chief Security Officer to General Abacha, Major Al-Mustapha and was somewhat allegedly linked with some of the atrocious acts of human rights abuse in one of the darkest period of Nigeria history including the dastardly murder of the renowned pro-democracy activist, Chief Alfred Rewane in 1995 for using his enormous wealth to support the pro-democracy movement in the country (particularly NADECO) that was a thorn in the flesh of the military potentates. James Ibori acquired huge wealth during this period which he quickly deployed to win the Governorship election that was allegedly to have been heavily rigged, when the military balked to pressure to hand over the reigns of government to civilians. It was this huge war chest that he used to compromise the weak institution that was created to usher in democratic civil rule to become the Governor of the oil rich Delta State.
He was allegedly notoriously corrupt and rumoured to have acquired huge wealth during his tenure as Governor. Ibori’s wife, mistress and sister are presently facing trial in a London Court for money laundering offences committed when Ibori was Governor of Delta State. Records found in the United Kingdom after Ibori’s tenure as Governor had expired reveals that Ibori and his wife had been convicted in the early 1990s’ for fraud committed while his wife was a shop attendant in London. In 2002 his political opponents took him to Court on the ground that he was not qualify to be Governor because of a previous conviction by an Abuja Area Court for criminal breach of trust. The case went on appeal to the Supreme Court which ruled that there was paucity of evidence on the identity of the man who was convicted by the Area Court whom the Plaintiffs in the case had alleged was James Ibori.
After his tenure as Governor ended he was arrested and charged to Court but was acquitted on technical grounds by a Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State in a controversial decision. However, after the former Managing Director of Oceanic Bank Limited was arrested and charged to Court new evidence emerged which implicated James Ibori over the sales of shares belonging to Delta State Government which was used to off set the loan owed Oceanic Bank Limited by Ascot Nigeria Limited a Company owed by James Ibori. It has been widely believed that James Ibori was one of the sponsors of militants in the Niger Delta Region.
The attack unleashed on a team of Police Officers led by a Deputy Inspector General of Police by militants and armed youths mobilized to protect James Ibori to prevent the execution of a warrant of arrest issued by a Federal High Court after James Ibori refused to honour the invitation of the Economic and financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to answer the allegation levelled against him in a petition sent to EFCC by a pressure group of elderly citizens from Delta State under the leadership of Chief Edwin Clark. The attack on Police Officers sent to arrest by the supporters of James Ibori is a direct challenge to the authority and integrity of the Federal Government of Nigeria. It is an act of threat to National Security by a leader who is supposes to know better. It is an indication that the country is tottering on the precipice of a failed state. It is illuminates and portends a dangerous dimension in the country and indicative that the country is almost being overwhelmed by politicians that have ties with militia outfits with that operate with dexterity and ruthlessness of the famous Chicago Mafia in the United States of America in the 1920s. The Mafioso in Chicago created a State within a State. They penetrated the top echelon of the Police and the City administration and imposed it Will.
James Ibori is a archetypical Nigerian Big Man and Politician. The Nigerian Big man is pompous, loud and boisterous. He is the embodiment of vanity. He loathes law and order with a passion. He believes in cutting of corners. He does not believe in democracy, Rule of Law and constitutionalism. The Nigerian Big man is pathologically corrupt. He is an inveterate manipulator and a compulsive liar. James Ibori has this mindset that he is above the law and he thinks he has the right to get away from which ever crimes he commits. This is why James Ibori will have the audacity to resist the Police and disobey the Court. It is clear that if this great challenge to the authority of the Nigerian State is not taken seriously, then it may be beginning of the collapse of the rule of Law in Nigeria. The Police must deploy all the forces in its arsenal and call the bluff of James Ibori so as not to send the wrong signal that he is a sacred cow.
Okoi Ofem Obono-Obla
• Obono-Obla is a Barrister & Human Rights Activist. He lives in Abuja, Nigeria
It is a dangerous dimension to the already precarious security situation in the country for a sly politician with so much money to throw about to be allowed to get away from such affront like ordering his militia to attack and fired at Police Officers who represent the authority of the Federal Government of Nigeria. He was reputed to one of the henchmen of the despicable and ruthless military dictator, late General Sani Abacha at the height of his regiment, which was notorious for corruption and poor human rights records.
Ibori was said to have been very close to the Chief Security Officer to General Abacha, Major Al-Mustapha and was somewhat allegedly linked with some of the atrocious acts of human rights abuse in one of the darkest period of Nigeria history including the dastardly murder of the renowned pro-democracy activist, Chief Alfred Rewane in 1995 for using his enormous wealth to support the pro-democracy movement in the country (particularly NADECO) that was a thorn in the flesh of the military potentates. James Ibori acquired huge wealth during this period which he quickly deployed to win the Governorship election that was allegedly to have been heavily rigged, when the military balked to pressure to hand over the reigns of government to civilians. It was this huge war chest that he used to compromise the weak institution that was created to usher in democratic civil rule to become the Governor of the oil rich Delta State.
He was allegedly notoriously corrupt and rumoured to have acquired huge wealth during his tenure as Governor. Ibori’s wife, mistress and sister are presently facing trial in a London Court for money laundering offences committed when Ibori was Governor of Delta State. Records found in the United Kingdom after Ibori’s tenure as Governor had expired reveals that Ibori and his wife had been convicted in the early 1990s’ for fraud committed while his wife was a shop attendant in London. In 2002 his political opponents took him to Court on the ground that he was not qualify to be Governor because of a previous conviction by an Abuja Area Court for criminal breach of trust. The case went on appeal to the Supreme Court which ruled that there was paucity of evidence on the identity of the man who was convicted by the Area Court whom the Plaintiffs in the case had alleged was James Ibori.
After his tenure as Governor ended he was arrested and charged to Court but was acquitted on technical grounds by a Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State in a controversial decision. However, after the former Managing Director of Oceanic Bank Limited was arrested and charged to Court new evidence emerged which implicated James Ibori over the sales of shares belonging to Delta State Government which was used to off set the loan owed Oceanic Bank Limited by Ascot Nigeria Limited a Company owed by James Ibori. It has been widely believed that James Ibori was one of the sponsors of militants in the Niger Delta Region.
The attack unleashed on a team of Police Officers led by a Deputy Inspector General of Police by militants and armed youths mobilized to protect James Ibori to prevent the execution of a warrant of arrest issued by a Federal High Court after James Ibori refused to honour the invitation of the Economic and financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to answer the allegation levelled against him in a petition sent to EFCC by a pressure group of elderly citizens from Delta State under the leadership of Chief Edwin Clark. The attack on Police Officers sent to arrest by the supporters of James Ibori is a direct challenge to the authority and integrity of the Federal Government of Nigeria. It is an act of threat to National Security by a leader who is supposes to know better. It is an indication that the country is tottering on the precipice of a failed state. It is illuminates and portends a dangerous dimension in the country and indicative that the country is almost being overwhelmed by politicians that have ties with militia outfits with that operate with dexterity and ruthlessness of the famous Chicago Mafia in the United States of America in the 1920s. The Mafioso in Chicago created a State within a State. They penetrated the top echelon of the Police and the City administration and imposed it Will.
James Ibori is a archetypical Nigerian Big Man and Politician. The Nigerian Big man is pompous, loud and boisterous. He is the embodiment of vanity. He loathes law and order with a passion. He believes in cutting of corners. He does not believe in democracy, Rule of Law and constitutionalism. The Nigerian Big man is pathologically corrupt. He is an inveterate manipulator and a compulsive liar. James Ibori has this mindset that he is above the law and he thinks he has the right to get away from which ever crimes he commits. This is why James Ibori will have the audacity to resist the Police and disobey the Court. It is clear that if this great challenge to the authority of the Nigerian State is not taken seriously, then it may be beginning of the collapse of the rule of Law in Nigeria. The Police must deploy all the forces in its arsenal and call the bluff of James Ibori so as not to send the wrong signal that he is a sacred cow.
Okoi Ofem Obono-Obla
• Obono-Obla is a Barrister & Human Rights Activist. He lives in Abuja, Nigeria
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