Investigation: Jonathan's Security Responsible For Port Harcourt Stampede Deaths
Posted: February 14, 2011 - 03:17


By SaharaReporters, New York
SaharaReporters’ investigation of yesterday's stampede at the Liberation Stadium in Port Harcourt in which scores of Nigerians were killed implicate members of Goodluck Jonathan's presidential guard, who took control of the area 24 hours before his political rally.

This much is clear even as Mr. Jonathan, as his office indicated yesterday, has sent a team of police officers to investigate the cause of the stampede.  That team arrived in Port Harcourt this morning to begin work, but there are doubts they really intend to unravel the real culprits involved within the presidential guard as they already left for Abuja with the president earlier in the day.

The Nigerian government has officially declared 11 people dead, but our investigations show that over 20 people were killed in the stampede, which began when people began leaving the stadium during Jonathan's speech at the event on Saturday.

Police sources told SaharaReporters that the large crowds were leaving at a time Jonathan was giving his speech but the overzealous presidential guards refused to let them do so in order to avoid the kind of embarrassment Mr. Jonathan faced in Kaduna the previous day.  On that occasion, large crowds left the rally when he was giving his speech.

Our source said that as the restless crowd surged forward in defiance, the armed presidential guards at the main gate of the stadium became overwhelmed.  But determined to keep the crowd in the stadium, one of them unleashed a volley of gunshots.  The stampede started as the crowd panicked.

Soon after SaharaReporters broke the news, aides to Mr. Jonathan contacted us to deny the shooting part of the report, trying to downplay the role of members of the presidential guards in causing the stampede.


According to a source in the presidential security team, when the president of Nigeria plans to visit any state for an event of any kind, the presidential guards typically take over the security of the area, especially now that threats of militant attacks against the president have increased dramatically following the October 1st bombing in Abuja, which claimed several lives.

A political analyst blamed Jonathan’s security for their overzealousness, querying why it was necessary to have prevented people from leaving the stadium when they wanted to do so.  A well-informed source had told SaharaReporters that the crowd at the stadium on Saturday was mostly hired by state governors from several states in the South-South region rather than people who wanted to hear Jonathan speak.   He said that the state governors of Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Cross Rives, Bayelsa and others had their various crowds in different parts of the stadium.

The Jonathan government is trying to suppress the number of dead people so as to avoid the disaster created by his security, but many families are still going around looking for their loved ones.

The government’s scramble to suppress the truth about the deaths in Port Harcourt today seems to have received the cooperation the mainstream press.

For instance, online versions of The Guardian, which has a full bureau in the city, reported on its front page the government’s “shock and sadness” at the deaths, although it did not report the story itself.   

Signs that Jonathan faces daunting pressures over its campaigns in the northern parts manifested earlier today when his office put off the presidential rally in Borno and Yobe states scheduled for Monday.  A press release issued by presidential spokesperson, Ima Niboro, claimed that the presidential campaign in those states was cancelled to honor the victims of the stampede in Port Harcourt last Saturday.

Police sources told SaharaReporters that the large crowds were leaving at a time Jonathan was giving his speech but the overzealous presidential guards refused to let them do so in order to avoid the kind of embarrassment Mr. Jonathan faced in Kaduna the previous day. On that occasion, large crowds left the rally when he was giving his speech.

According to a source in the presidential security team, when the president of Nigeria plans to visit any state for an event of any kind, the presidential guards typically take over the security of the area, especially now that threats of militant attacks against the president have increased dramatically following the October 1st bombing in Abuja, which claimed several lives.

oyb:

and some people would have us believe gej is loved in the ss.

Olodo, I hope u can read?

Police sources told SaharaReporters that the large crowds were leaving at a time Jonathan was giving his speech but the overzealous presidential guards refused to let them do so in order to avoid the kind of embarrassment Mr. Jonathan faced in Kaduna the previous day. On that occasion, large crowds left the rally when he was giving his speech.

oyb:

Dunce, it is clear you can only read words, but cannot comprehend their message . you must be another of those 6334 failures

wesley80:


"There was a huge crowd, the place was completely full," Ken Saro-Wiwa, President Jonathan's special assistant on international affairs, told Reuters news agency.

Lagos — Omodara Joel, a State Security Service (SSS) officer in the security detail of the Lagos State Deputy Governor, Senator Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele, has been charged with the May 5, 2000 murder of Miss Odunola Alli in Ilupeju area of Lagos.

Lagos State Police Commissioner Mike Okiro, who confirmed the story disclosed that the SSS officer who was initially detained alongside seven other security aides of the deputy governor, was yesterday arraigned before the Magistrate Court 5 in Ebute Metta, Lagos by the Homicide Division of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID). Okiro claimed that Joel, in the course of police investigation, had confessed to firing the shot that killed.

JUDGMENT
(DELIVERED BY RAPHAEL CHIKWE AGBO, JCA)
The appellant is facing a charge of murder contrary to the provisions
of S.319(1) of the Criminal Code CAP 32 Laws of Lagos State 1994 at the
Lagos State High Court. Information was filed in the High Court in 2001
and plea was taken before the present trial judge on 19th September 2002.
On SthFebruary 2005, unable to accept the tardiness of the prosecution, the
trial court compulsorily closed the case for t he prosecution. The defence
commenced its case thereafter and closed its case on ISth March 2005.
Parties thereafter addressed the court and judgment fixep for 30th September
2005. On 215t June 2005 the prosecution filed an application at the trial
court brought pursuant to S .200 of t he Criminal Procedure Law 0 f Lagos
State seeking the leave of that court to call two witnesses listed in the proof
of evidence before the final judgment. Affidavits were exchanged by the
parties and the application rigorously argued. In a considered ruling the
lower court held thus:-
"Accordingly, the court in the interest of justice hereby
grants leave

babytoun:

Another trash from sahara reporters. we will all see where this babyish journalism takes Ribadu.

People in ph will leave the stadium the way in happened in kaduna? thats the biggest lie ever.

Gbawe:

What has this got to do with Ribadu? This is a fairly serious allegation from saharareporters against President Jonathan's security team. If the account of saharareportes is wrong then GEJ has the option of fighting them in Court . Nigerians died here and folks with their "dem against us" and "dem won pull us down mentality" should refrain from speaking as if we are talking about a few squashed ants instead of human beings .

babytoun:


Saharareporters has been excessively critical of GEJ , ever since ribadu started showing some interest in the coming elections.

Go to court over this "trash" from sahara? you sound really funny. People like you are the ones that will accuse GEJ of joblessness if he does that.

Lives have been lost and i think we need to show some respect for the departed. But this sensational reporting from sahara in line with their established pattern of de-marketing GEJ will not work. Some of us see things better.

greateros:

Every sane person has been critical of GEJ based on several [size=15pt]proves[/size] of his actions{or in-actions} in matters of national concern!

I can boldly conclude that its only people with biased mind or those that choose to be dumb based on what they are benefiting from this government {which in my opinion happens to be the worst government ever in Nigeria - even worst that abacha's government} can still look at GEJ and say he is the best thing that happened to Nigeria!

Based on the misfortunes Visited on Nigerians since he took over power. GEJ means PURE BAD LUCK to Nigeria! His campaign team calls him Fresh Air! but its obvious now that he is A DRY DESERT STORM ON NIGERIA! absolutely noting fresh about him! Just sorrows, tears and blood to Innocent Nigerians!

greateros:

Every sane person has been critical of GEJ based on several proves of his actions{or in-actions} in matters of national concern!

I can boldly conclude that its only people with biased mind or those that choose to be dumb based on what they are benefiting from this government {which in my opinion happens to be the worst government ever in Nigeria - even worst that abacha's government} can still look at GEJ and say he is the best thing that happened to Nigeria!

Based on the misfortunes Visited on Nigerians since he took over power. GEJ means PURE BAD LUCK to Nigeria! His campaign team calls him Fresh Air! but its obvious now that he is A DRY DESERT STORM ON NIGERIA! absolutely noting fresh about him! Just sorrows, tears and blood to Innocent Nigerians!

Ma_J_Blige:

every sane person indeed.

u think too much of yourself.