EFCC clampdown on ex-Govs
Ibori faces arrest
•Details of his multi-billion naira wealth •How he refunded N20b looted cash,assets

• Freedom deal in jeopardy


By GABRIEL OKWARA



FOR Chief James Onanefe Ibori, former governor of Delta State, things are no longer at ease. He may suffer the humiliating ordeal of being arrested and paraded in court for alleged looting of public treasury and owning unaccountable multi-billion naira business empire in Nigeria and overseas.


National Daily sources said that Ibori has been interrogated three times by operatives Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at their Wuse Zone 2, headquarters, Abuja, despite an alleged secret pact with former President Olusegun Obasanjo, which was said to have guaranteed him freedom from prosecution if he agreed to fund Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's presidential campaign.


However, EFCC chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, an Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) seemingly bowing to local and international pressures is believed to have re-opened the case against Ibori and other ex-governors.


Ex-governors Joshua Dariye, Saminu Turaki, Jolly Nyame and Orji Uzor Kalu of Plateau, Jigawa, Benue, Taraba and Abia States respectively were all detained and charged with official corruption. They were later released on stringent bail conditions.


Competent sources said that Ibori voluntarily honoured the initial invitation of the anti-graft commission, but during the latest interrogation, he allegedly lost his calmness and reminded Ribadu and his colleagues of his role in ensuring the emergence of Yar'Adua as president and the assurance he was allegedly given by Obasanjo.


Apart from pressures for the commission to keep its promise that it will arrest and prosecute certain corrupt former governors after the May 29, 2007 handover date, Ibori's refusal to abide by the terms of a negotiated “out of court” settlement between him, the EFCC and the Presidency on the other hand was said to have worsened his case.


Ibori and the other former governors who are members of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), were made to drop their presidential aspirations and work collectively for Yar'Adua as their consensus candidate. In the bargain, they would be free from prosecution when they relinquished power. Ibori was particularly chosen as the arrowhead of Yar'Adua Campaign because of his tremendous influence as one of the leaders of the turbulent Niger Delta region, and as the governor of the oil rich Delta State.


Ibori was said to have single-handedly made available the sum of N8 billion to the Yar'Adua/Jonathan campaign organisation.
On assumption of office, Yar'Adua allegedly influenced the establishment of an apparatus through which the fingered former governors could refund the looted fund to the government in exchange for their freedom.


National Daily sources said Ibori was at the onset excited by the pact, which would extricate him and his erstwhile colleagues from the clutches of the anti-corruption agency. He allegedly refunded about N5 billion to the EFCC with a promise to return more of his financial loot to the EFCC. Sources said Ibori also forfeited assets valued at about N15 billion as part of the freedom pact. When he was reminded of his promise during his last interrogation, he allegedly threatened to open a can of worms on how the funds he allegedly siphoned from public treasury was used to fund the “political agenda of the PDP”.


Ibori was also said to have blurted that “When it comes to corruption, nobody is a saint.” He said that if pushed to the wall, he would not mind dragging some of his traducers down the mud with him.


Ibori, alongside former President Ibrahim Babangida, Dr. Peter Odili and Kwara Governor, Bukola Saraki were fingered in an alleged move to sack Ribadu as the EFCC Chairman. The gang-up was meant to sponsor negative publicity against Ribadu thereby creating a credibility problem for him. The final onslaught was for Yar'Adua to bow to pressure to replace him.
An inside source said that at this point, EFCC boss Ribadu retorted that he would not succumb to blackmail from anyone, no matter his status in the society.
National Daily sources said that the EFCC has concluded investigation into the alleged corrupt practices by Ibori during his eight year tenure as the governor of Delta State.


“The commission now has the relevant document to conclusively nail Ibori. You know, we did not want to rush the cases of the ex-governors because we wanted to have all the evidence. We are now ready for Ibori and I can assure you that his case will be the biggest, when it finally begins,” said an inside source.


Ibori's multi-billion naira investment allegedly established with public funds, spread across Real Estate, aviation and petroleum.
The former governor and his wife, Nkoyo, allegedly own Whitehills Corporation Limited which once offered to supply six million barrels of Nigeria's Bonny light to oil dealers every month. Tessi Ibori was listed as the Company Secretary and one Okey Ilo, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Investigation revealed that Tessi Ibori is the same person as Theresa Nkoyo Ibori, the former first lady of Delta State.
Tessi (Nkoyo) Ibori, according to records, is a British Citizen born in January 1968. She was appointed the company secretary two years after her husband, James Ibori, became the governor of Delta State.


Investigation further revealed that Whitehills Corporation Ltd has a registered office at 4 St Andrews Court, St Andrews Road, London, E176AX. Tessi's address was given as 7 Westover Hill, North West London.


Tessi Nkoyo Ibori's London residence is a sprawling estate with British guards and gardeners. Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras are mounted at strategic places in the Estate. One Nigerian worker who said she was under strict instruction not to talk to anyone however confided in our source that there are all kinds of luxury cars, including a Bentley in the premises.


It was gathered that Westover Hill estate was purchased through Haleway properties in 2001.


Haleway, registered in Gibraltar, a small island known as tax haven, 10, Westover Hill, was acquired on October 19, 2003 for £1.7 million pounds (about N400 million) while 14, Westover Hills was bought over at £2.3 million pounds (N1 billion) on May 31, 2001.
An aide to the youthful former governor, however denied that Ibori is the owner of the controversial estate. He claimed that Ibori always stayed in a hotel whenever he visited London. But when he was specifically reminded about the house at Westover Hills, he said maybe the house belonged to Tessi (Nkoyo) who was born in London.


However, it can now be established that Tessi (Nkoyo) Ibori on December 4, 2001, registered a company, Haleway Trading Ltd with number, 04334204. The office of the company was located on 1st floor, Alpine House, Unit 2, Honeypot Lane, London. The Westover Hills estate was purchased in 2001 by Haleway properties.


National Daily was reliably informed that Ibori was interrogated on the ownership of WINGS AVIATION AIRLINE. The airline, which provides chartered shuttle flights for expatriate staff of oil companies gave its address as Concord Airline building, Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
EFCC operatives allegedly discovered that Ibori started the Airline in order to cover the lucrative business of shuttling staff of oil companies operating in the troubled Niger Delta region.


The airline was recently recapitalised by the Federal Aviation Department, but the funds were allegedly traced to the funds allegedly looted by Ibori.
WINGS Airline own two turbo-props. Beechcrafts 1900 D Beechliner and super Kings Air. The airline cost about $10 million each ($20m = N2.6 billion)
Sources said the oil companies are blackmailed to use the airline to avoid attack by militants. The expatriates are made to pay exorbitant fares to ensure their comfort and security in the Niger Delta.


After the interrogation, which lasted about four hours, Ibori was asked to go but was told on very clear terms that he would soon be invited again for “the last round” of interrogation. National Daily learnt that, Ibori was worried by the inference of the EFCC that he is not out of the hook yet. He told his close aides that he smelt a rat.


Before he left the EFCC interrogation room, Ibori was asked to surrender his international passport and relevant documents of his bank accounts and business investment. He was unequivocally warned against travelling out of the country through illegal means because the various security organs have been given definite orders to execute against any wanted ex-public officer who decided to evade the cause of justice.


It was gathered that Ibori immediately after his last interrogation was placed under surveillance. EFCC agents were allegedly instructed to monitor his movement and activities in his country home, Lagos and Abuja where he has residential houses.


Ibori allegedly delayed his trip back to his hometown, Oghara in Delta State in order to discuss the unsavoury development with Yar'Adua in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.


He allegedly told the President that he was being harassed by Ribadu and the EFCC despite the post-election agreement between the former PDP governors and the party. He also said he took exception to the impression given by the EFCC that he could even be detained if he failed to refund more money to the commission. Ibori allegedly accused Yar'Adua of not doing enough to checkmate the EFCC from going on his trail, and vowed that he would fight back if he is provoked to do so.


After his meeting with the President in Aso Rock, Yar'Adua was said to have reached out to Obasanjo and pleaded with him to intervene in the matter.
Ibori is not totally new to allegation of financial scandals. He was allegedly sacked by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) after working with Mobil Oil Nigeria Limited. He was enmeshed in a legal tangle with some litigants who claimed that he is an ex-convict having been once jailed by an Abuja court for stealing. The judge who jailed him testified that James Ibori he jailed is the same as the former governor. The investigating police officer also confirmed that Ibori was the one jailed by the Abuja Court. However, an Abuja judge ruled that the former governor is different from the James Ibori that was convicted.


On March 13, 2007, one Elder Godsday Orubebe and two others dragged Ibori to an Abuja Federal Court for allegedly misappropriating over N60 billion naira while he was governor of Delta State.


Supporters of Diepreye Solomon Alamieyeseigha, Orji Uzor Kalu, Chimaroke Nnamani and Saminu Turaki are said to be mounting pressure on President Yar'Adua and the EFCC to extend the ongoing arrest and prosecution to include indicted South South former governors, who are known to have received the highest volume of revenue allocations but had no meaningful development to show for it, which has contributed to the ongoing bloodbath in the Niger Delta region.


“If Alamieyeseigha can be detained for 24 months, and prosecuted, nothing stops the anti-corruption commission from visiting the likes of Ibori, Odili, Lucky Igbinedion, and Victor Attah, who impeccable sources revealed have more serious cases of corruption and embezzlement of state funds, with the same fate of arrest and public prosecution,” said a top Niger Delta leader who pleaded anonymity.
He added: “There will only be genuine reconciliation and forgiveness of the treatment given to Alamieyeseigha if his colleagues are made to face the music. Otherwise, this process will be nothing but selective justice.”


Meanwhile Presidency sources hinted that Mr. President is becoming increasingly indifferent to the clampdown on ex-governors as attempts by a group of serving governors to prevail on Yar'Adua to slow Ribadu and his men have not yielded much results.


As far as he is concerned, those who stole should go and refund the loot. You saw Jolly Nyame, he admitted and promised to return his loot, and he was granted bail, period,” the source concluded.



http://www.ngrnationaldaily.com/cover.htm

Very interesting indeed. the crroks should return their loot ojare. we are not interested in their gist.

This is a malicious story. People don't get "paraded in court", they are taken to court. Avoid these type of journalists with their paraded ignorance.

"Despite the alleged secret pact with former President Olusegun Obasanjo"

how can one discuss something that is suspected to exist, though most likely does not exist, but if it does exist, is secret, thereby not known? Please stay away from these kinds of nonsense articles.



"re-opened the case"
whoever said the case was closed.


"Competent source" i.e my friends at the local palmwine spot.


"Said to have single-handedly made available the sum of N8 billion" "reliable informed that"

Who are these National Daily people? And who is feeding them all this top secret rumours? Abacha?


I must admit, I have seen quite a number of stories fabricated all in the name of "sources", but I must admit, I've never come across any this long. This particular source must be the next Daniel Steele. Watch out!

Everybody knows that Ibori is a very bad person, but we don't need some "maganan jari ce" journalist to come and spin us a bestseller.