FORMER Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr. Tafa Balogun yesterday regained his freedom after serving a-six-month jail term on the orders of a Federal High Court, which convicted him for fraud.

On November 22, last year, Justice Binta Murtala-Nyako convicted and sentenced Balogun to six months imprisonment, after he pleaded guilty to a mitigated eight-count charge of refusal to co-operate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) when he was on probe for money laundering offences.

Balogun's release by the prison authorities was confirmed by its spokesman, Mr. Kunle Odeyemi, who said that the erstwhile police boss earned his freedom after serving the terms of his conviction.

http://www.guardiannewsngr.com/news/article04/090206

Former Inspector General accused of a monumental fraud recently- Mr Tafa Balogun has been freed. He has completed his sentence.

http://odili.net/news/source/2006/feb/9/38.html

So that's it? he's done paying for his crime . Did i mention that lil kim is still in jail?, not for stealing, but for lying. Oh i am very disappointed in the Nigerian justice system. THis guy should be writing his will from his prison cell, a minimum of 20years would have been a start for him, not six months. Anyway, i consoled by the fact that he is now considered a convicted Felon

Here is a man that stole all the billions of naira allocated to the police. He went around collecting and begging money and properties from state governors and commissioners. He terrorized Nigeria. Police officers turned to armed robers because Tafa the big thief stole all their money. He was a big thief. He was a disgrace to humanity, police force and Nigeria in general. He was a blessing to Obasanjo. He was Obasanjo's hatchet man. He rigged the 2003 election for Obasanjo.
Tafa Obasanjo got only six months in jail. 419s got 25 years. That's Obasanjo justice.

Congrats to him.

That's Nigeria for us. Just imagine after all those charges.
If it were a common man who has nobody in power or no money to buy justice was charged for crossing the express road or even someone who was wrongly accussed, probably picked up from a riot scene, he would be left in the prison awaiting trial for not less than a year or even more.

What we have here is no Presidency, it's no Legislation and it's no Judiciary.

What we have is no Justice and absolutely "NO DEMOCRACY".

May God help this country.

uzors:
He was a blessing to Obasanjo. He was Obasanjo's hatchet man. He rigged the 2003 election for Obasanjo.
That's Obasanjo justice.

Kudos to great great members of the political section. Sensible members like Ono,Conscience,Odeku,Ijebuman,Bagoma, Nferyn(of recent) etc
For you;Uzor, you got nothing to say than Obasanjo! Obasanjo!! Obasanjo!!!.
For God's Sake, Is OBJ the judge?
Go back to the root of Tafa's case, Who ordered the EFCC to prosecute him ?

Personally,
I am happy with the humilation metted on him, the money he returned, the properties seized irrespective of the numbers of days he spent in Jail.

Where is Sunday Adewusi of our world?

I derive no joy from the suffering of another man even if he is a thief. So congrats to Tafa Balogun for his early release. Go and sin no more!

Seun:

Go and sin no more!

Truelly.

That would encourage others to go into such and say to themselves, "is it not 6 months jail term?"

What we are saying is to be fair to all.

Seun:

I derive no joy from the suffering of another man even if he is a thief. So congrats to Tafa Balogun for his early release. Go and sin no more!

Sin no more my foot. Don't be surprise when he force himself into power by rigging the next election with the money he stoled. The purpose of sending a criminal to jail is to punish as well as a deterrent for others. He refused to talk _{wherever that means in nigeria these days}, simply because that has been the strategy of exposed government officials. "Keep your mouth shut". The judge should've sent him to 50 years in jail with hard labour instead of the slap on the wrist he got. Remember, this is an IGP we're talking about here for crying out loud!!! The nigerian judicial system need to start setting examples or all the crap they are saying about eradicating corruption will be a waste of time.

@vichel
Do you think he gives a damn being a convicted Felon? He has money. He stoled that money. And in nigeria, money washes away all sins. He's probably smiling his way to swizz bank to live a blissful life on the expense of poor nigerian masses.

DE KING,I think you are right.The justice system must be seen as treating everyone as under the law and none above the law.The trial judge should have treated Tafa as any other convict.If he gets a presidential pardon after that,it is still within the law and more understandable.

sawrie pipul.. i may b wrong o, but is it 6 months or 6weeks..cos if it's Nov 22 of last year, how come he's out in Febuary? which means dat dude hasn't completed his time or wth's goin on?

Scorpio,the guy spent about 2 or 3 months in cell before he was convicted in November.

hmmm, which means they just added d previous months he's spent right? that friggin sucks

Scorpio:

sawrie pipul.. i may b wrong o, but is it 6 months or 6weeks..because if it's Nov 22 of last year, how come he's out in Febuary? which means that dude hasn't completed his time or wth's goin on?

The sentence start the day he was detained not the day he was convicted.

aiite, i still thinks that's too small a sentence for him. 6 months, hell!

The six months is not the only issue at stake.The guy spent the jail term pretending ill at a highbrow hospital in Abuja.They are supposed to make him repeat the six months in a true Nigerian jail.I mean,he should get a test of the kind of jails he kept people while he was still the police boss.

The six months is not the only issue.The guy spent the jail term in a highbrow hospital in Abuja.

I am happy for him o. Now, I hope he has enuff money to hang on... coz they took almost everything...

I dont blame African China for his song 'Mr President'.
Poor man who steals maggi, they'll show him on crime fighters but what happens to rich men and politicians who launder huge sums of money?

After all the noise made about Tafa's case, what did he get?
I remember warching him on Tv saying that he'll bounce back. I guess he's about to bounce back.
What has EFCC achieved in his case?
Absolutely nothing!

Abeg, they should release Alams and others too, abi wetin una think? Alams is not even serving a jail term, they are just keeping the innocent man. And here is a self confessed rigger of elections, someone who stole Police votes and a willing tool in the hand of evil men, about to start walking tall and free.


Anyway sha, with the humiliation and publicity his arrest and incarceration has generated, I think he's had enough of wahala to haunt him for the remainder of his entire life. He should not come into politics again o, like Umaru Dikko that stole way back in the early 80's and was nominated by the Federal Govt. to attend the National Political Reform Conference, where he was accusing people in the Delta of stealing.

A word is enough for the jail bird just released from the gulag!

ono:

Abeg, they should release Alams and others too, abi wetin una think? Alams is not even serving a jail term, they are just keeping the innocent man. And here is a self confessed rigger of elections, someone who stole Police votes and a willing tool in the hand of evil men, about to start walking tall and free.


Anyway sha, with the humiliation and publicity his arrest and incarceration has generated, I think he's had enough of wahala to haunt him for the remainder of his entire life. He should not come into politics again o, like Umaru Dikko that stole way back in the early 80's and was nominated by the Federal Govt. to attend the National Political Reform Conference, where he was accusing people in the Delta of stealing.

A word is enough for the jail bird just released from the gulag!

Anything is possible in the Nigerian Politics.
Dont forget that one can come out from jail and successfully head straight to Aso Rock.

Anything is possible in the Nigerian Politics.
Dont forget that one can come out from jail and successfully head straight to Aso Rock.

My point exactly.

beautipie, I hear you. You have spoken well.

Yes o, thats Nigeria for you. This is one of the reasons why we are not going anywhere in this country. If twas an okada man that did something as serious as that, that okada man would surely know whats up after he would have been dealt with that the jail term will not be necessary coz he'll already be 6-feet under.

I was even surprised that Tafy did only 6-months. thats an encouragement for others, to eat well and very seriously, then break the law like oga Tafa, anyway theres now a reference point: if the judge gives you more than 6-months, your counsel can refer to previous judgments by the court.

whats next for Tafa? he might want to go abroad for medical treatment, and thereby put his financials in order.. you know how things go.

by the way: the committee that has been investigating the cause of the plane crash that killed the 70+ students last yr are still working on their report(3-months) and this gives more time for more planes to go down, at least before the report's results come out.

I love Nigeria, dont u?

The GUY never spent a single day in his 6-monrh term as all of it was at NHAbuja in a private ward. So he never experienced his prisons, that's Nigeria for you.

did you hear that the money "supposedly" stolen by the former IG was utilized in the election rigging of 2003 so what is all this hullabaloo

Regardless if this man spent one day in jail or no. look at how he was disgraced out of office, his subordinate have no respect for him now and never will he regain the power and control he had over people. His health has deteriorated significantly and the man has paid more for his crime with his health, so lets move on and go get the next guy and let this guy rest please.

Remeber power money and respect is what we need in life. He dosn't have the power and respect, and maybe money.

what do they mean by freeing that man he should rot in jail where he belongs.

where is your faith and what joy will you derive from leaving the man in jail, even Jesus Christ forgave those people who persecuted him.

a court in lagos via the EFCC convicted a man for 397 years for defrauding a foriegner who wanted to defraud the nigerian government while a man was disappointed the whole nigeria, the government that appoints him. steal all the billions, rigged 2003 election just go in for only four months plus.
who is decieving who?
he was mistakingly implicated and that was nothing they could do so to be on the safe side, the normal drama took place even when he was been sturborn, he was given the script of the movie for a better understanding hence he played according to the rule and the director of the movie rewarded him for his abrupt co-operation.
no wonder the movie industry is growing so fast in nigeria because every body especially the governement is full of born actors and actresses.

chrischidi your points are baseless, and people keep talking that Tafa rigged the election, can you prove he did that? We all know the man is a greedy man, but he was portray as the man that got Obansonjo the victory, some people said Ibb put baba there and others are just watching, I love Nigeria