In a telephone interview from a South African number, a man claiming to be Henry Okah has said that government's efforts to cast doubt on the Aljazeera interview is what partly prompted his call to NEXT. In order to authenticate his identity, the man asked for, by name, some of the NEXT reporters Mr Okah has spoken with in the past.

When asked how it is possible for him to make phone calls from jail, he replied: "this is a civilised country. I can make calls anytime I want and to. I am aware of efforts by the federal government to de bunk my phone conversation with Al-Jazeera as a hoax and to dispel this, I am going to talk to the BBC and CNN tomorrow."

The phone call to NEXT, which lasted for five minutes, followed a telephone interview with the wife of former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta (MEND), Henry Okah, (Azuka). During that chat, she promised to get in touch with her husband and set up an interview. A few minutes later, our phone rang, and the caller introduced himself as Mr. Okah.

He reaffirmed the accusation made in the Al-Jazeera interview that an official of the presidency did ask to him to exonerate MEND on the Abuja bombings and blame northerners, but refused to divulge the identity of the official. He did however say he saved a text message from the official. He read the purported text message out: "Please reach-out to MEND and ask them to re-tract the statement and the government will blame the Northern elements."

NEXT asked if his phones were not seized by the South African authorities, and he responded that "I have saved the message on another phone. Shortly after I got the text message, Dopkesi (IBB's campaign manager) was arrested. I will not release the message now because if I do, the next thing they will say is that someone/IBB has paid him to do this. As they continue to sour my name the more, I will release the message."

When asked if he had a hand in the bombings in Abuja, he replied in the negative.

For detailed interview, news and analysis on Abuja bombing, MEND and the Niger Delta get a copy of NEXT on Sunday.

ferari90:

Jonathan has murdered Sleep, why is he still in the office?

na_so:

Formally it was a phone call, now it is a text message. Okah will soon dribble himself and score an own goal.

dappssee:

Okah is the one heating the polity with his cell phone from SA.

GEJ's aides have asked that he name the presidential aide that spoke with him but he has refused to.

I also wonder why GEJ will tell Okah to claim northerners are behind the attacks. Its absurd

Our President is rolling with the wrong crew. I'm beginning to suspect GEJ is as silly as he looks, his foot is permanently in his mouth!

Any number of men within the Jonathan 'inner caucus' could have contacted this guy, because the President still rolls with the same Bayelsa crew up until now. Alams, Godsday Orubebe, etc are still quite close to the president, and the entire militancy thing actually festered in Bayelsa during the Alams era, I remember the Aams once went to an offshore rig to physically negotiate with armed insurgents who had held the rig hostage, back then when he was still Governor of Bayelsa. Alams is the Godfather of militants in Nigeria.

Also GEJ's authoritative claim almost immediately after the bombings suggest he was in quite close communication with the 'retired' commanders of MEND, heck, he actually hosts them on a peer-to-peer basis and press conferences are held after such meetings, he didn't see his close association with those brigands as anything to be ashamed of, because he has probably known them from way back when he was Alams' Deputy Governor. He might even be a card carrying member of MEND for all we know

babasoty:

is the president aware of this?, did he sanction this ?,,

Are you certain of the portion in bold? Okah is being held somewhere, how did this message get to him in South Africa? By Email? Phone call? What media? Please inform us so we are updated on this . .

LO, but he is indeed aware of those who bombed Abuja on 1st October, right?

EXCLUSIVE: Okah calls NEXT

>

By Ayo Okulaja and Cheta Nwanze


When asked how it is possible for him to make phone calls from jail, he replied: "this is a civilised country. I can make calls anytime I want and to.
NEXT asked if his phones were not seized by the South African authorities, and he responded that "I have saved the message on another phone. Shortly after I got the text message, Dopkesi (IBB's campaign manager) was arrested. I will not release the message now because if I do, the next thing they will say is that someone/IBB has paid him to do this. As they continue to sour my name the more, I will release the message."
.

EXCLUSIVE: Okah calls NEXT
He did however say he saved a text message from the official. He read the purported text message out: "Please reach-out to MEND and ask them to re-tract the statement and the government will blame the Northern elements."

I will not release the message now because if I do, the next thing they will say is that someone/IBB has paid him to do this. As they continue to sour my name the more, I will release the message."

When asked if he had a hand in the bombings in Abuja, he replied in the negative.

The phone call to NEXT, which lasted for five minutes, followed a telephone interview with the wife  [/b]of former leader of the Movement  for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta (MEND), Henry Okah, (Azuka). During that chat, [b]she promised to get in touch with her husband and set up an interview. A few minutes later, our phone rang, and the caller introduced himself as Mr. Okah.

Faeb:

There is no prison in this World, where a prisoner can make a phone call. And thats even if they only stole guguru and epa, not to talk of almost blowing up a President.

Rubbish.

Faeb:

There is no prison in this World, where a prisoner can make a phone call. And thats even if they only stole guguru and epa, not to talk of almost blowing up a President.

Rubbish.

27 July 2010

[size=13pt]Prisoners' phone calls 'not monitored properly'[/size]

Interception of Communications Commissioner Sir Paul Kennedy said equipment and resources were lacking.

He found "very serious" failings in 24 of the 88 jails in England and Wales - with another 19 only "a little better".

The Ministry of Justice said it had made several improvements since the inspections last year.

Harassment

Sir Paul said there were systematic failings in monitoring communications despite a large number of inmates posing a risk to children, members of the public, and prison staff.

In one jail alone, 476 prisoners were considered to be in need of monitoring.

TewMuch:

hahahhahaha. They are allowed to make phone calls through a pay phone, but i very much doubt if they have international phone call privileges. But that is not the stinker, In this statement Okah claims he has his cell phone in prison with him. rotflmao. [/b]No prison, not even kirikiri will allow such. Because of this, Okah has been henceforth rendered not credible. He is a liar, a thief, an oppressor and a terrorist. He should face firing squad. I hope his wife gets arrested as an accessory and more charges are piled on him for having a contraband in prison.

OMO IBO:

[b]YOUR RIGHTS: The Gatherings Act, Arrests and Court Processes

[size=13pt] Holding cell You may be put in jail before you are booked[/size]. Police officers often try to confuse and exhaust you to make you talk. Contrary to the common belief, you do not have the right to [size=13pt]immediately [/size] make a phone call or see a lawyer.

http://apf.org.za/spip.php?article151

dappssee:

[size=24pt]Think guys think![/size]

No one goes into prison custody with a communication gadget. If that was the case, people in detention can communicate with accomplices while in jail.

Even if a prisoner or anyone detained makes a call, it will be monitored and certainly not to the press.

Kobojunkie:

Where did he make such a claim please?

dappssee:

In a telephone interview from a South African number, a man claiming to be Henry Okah has said that government's efforts to cast doubt on the Aljazeera interview is what partly prompted his call to NEXT. In order to authenticate his identity, the man asked for, by name, some of the NEXT reporters Mr Okah has spoken with in the past.

When asked how it is possible for him to make phone calls from jail, he replied: "this is a civilised country. I can make calls anytime I want and to. I am aware of efforts by the federal government to de bunk my phone conversation with Al-Jazeera as a hoax and to dispel this, I am going to talk to the BBC and CNN tomorrow."

The phone call to NEXT, which lasted for five minutes, followed a telephone interview with the wife of former leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta (MEND), Henry Okah, (Azuka). During that chat, she promised to get in touch with her husband and set up an interview. A few minutes later, our phone rang, and the caller introduced himself as Mr. Okah.

He reaffirmed the accusation made in the Al-Jazeera interview that an official of the presidency did ask to him to exonerate MEND on the Abuja bombings and blame northerners, but refused to divulge the identity of the official. He did however say he saved a text message from the official. He read the purported text message out: "Please reach-out to MEND and ask them to re-tract the statement and the government will blame the Northern elements."

NEXT asked if his phones were not seized by the South African authorities, and he responded that "I have saved the message on another phone. Shortly after I got the text message, Dopkesi (IBB's campaign manager) was arrested. I will not release the message now because if I do, the next thing they will say is that someone/IBB has paid him to do this. As they continue to sour my name the more, I will release the message."

When asked if he had a hand in the bombings in Abuja, he replied in the negative.

For detailed interview, news and analysis on Abuja bombing, MEND and the Niger Delta get a copy of NEXT on Sunday.

http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5628394-146/man_claiming_to_be_okah_speaks.csp

dappssee:

[size=24pt]Think guys think![/size]

No one goes into prison custody with a communication gadget. If that was the case, people in detention can communicate with accomplices while in jail.

Even if a prisoner or anyone detained makes a call, it will be monitored and certainly not to the press.

OMO IBO:

YOUR RIGHTS: The Gatherings Act, Arrests and Court Processes

Holding cell You may be put in jail before you are booked. Police officers often try to confuse and exhaust you to make you talk. Contrary to the common belief, you do not have the right to immediately make a phone call or see a lawyer.

http://apf.org.za/spip.php?article151

TewMuch:

Okah, baba nla baba oni ro. Chei, desperado's.

He reaffirmed the accusation made in the Al-Jazeera interview that an official of the presidency did ask to him to exonerate MEND on the Abuja bombings and blame northerners, but refused to divulge the identity of the official. [size=13pt] He did however say he saved a text message from the official. He read the purported text message out: "Please reach-out to MEND and ask them to re-tract the statement and the government will blame the Northern elements."[/size]

[size=13pt]NEXT asked if his phones were not seized by the South African authorities, and he responded that "I have saved the message on another phone.[/size] Shortly after I got the text message, Dopkesi (IBB's campaign manager) was arrested. I will not release the message now because if I do, the next thing they will say is that someone/IBB has paid him to do this. As they continue to sour my name the more, I will release the message."