₦airaland Forum

Nuhu Ribadu Returns; Ready To Confront His Accusers

22 minutes ago, 94 views
Mallam Nuhu Ribadu,  former EFCC chairman, has, in a dramatic move, returned to the country.

He came back to Nigeria 24 hours ago, to confront his accusers over the allegations leveled against him. Ribadu, who spoke to us on phone this morning, did not reveal his exact location for security reasons, but told our reporters that he was safe.

He sneaked out of Nigeria about 10 days ago, in what was believed to be a move to seek asylum in a Western country, following persistent threats to his life by forces that he had fought during his anti-corruption campaigns.

The media had been awash with conflicting stories about his whereabouts. But P.M.News authoritatively reported his exit from Nigeria. When, last night, P.M.News sources learnt that he had sneaked back into the country, our reporters called his mobile phone which had been inaccessible since his exit, and it suddenly came alive.

He confirmed that he was away and had to return to confront his adversaries. “I have done nothing wrong and I have come to confront my accusers,” he said. On whether it was safe for him to do so, he said Allah would protect him. Last week, Ribadu failed to appear before a high-powered police panel set up to probe him.

Inspite of a case filed by his lawyers to stop this process, the panel went ahead and tried him in absentia. A report is believed to have been submitted to the Inspector-General of Police, Sir Michael Okiro. This has led to speculations in the media that Ribadu may have been recommended for outright dismissal.

A number of civil society groups and many Nigerians have condemned the harassment of Ribadu by the police authorities and the cabal of former governors who seem bent on visiting on Ribadu, retaliation and humiliation.

Speaking with our reporter in the early hours of today, Okiro said he has nothing against Ribadu. “He is my friend. I don’t have anything against him. I am the number 13 IGP, I can’t be number 14. I am not in any way after Ribadu,” said Okiro.

Source: http://thepmnews.com/2008/12/11/nuhu-rebadu-returns-ready-to-confront-his-accusers

Nuhu Ribadu Re-appears in Abuja and Visits EFCC Headquarters; Farida Waziri Absent

Last View on Thu 11th December, 2008
Last Modified on Thu 11th December, 2008 9:19:33 am
Author: Posted by Admin Sahara
Saharareporters, New York

Former EFCC chairman, Nuhu Ribadu, today reappeared in Abuja and created a ruckus at the headquarters of the EFCC when he made a surprise appearance there.

EFCC sources told SaharaReporters that Ribadu presented himself at their office around 2: 00 PM (Nigerian local time) in a move that surprised everyone.

After checking in at the gate of the commission, Ribadu reportedly headed straight for the office of the Chair, Mrs. Farida Waziri, for a meeting. Our sources said that Mrs. Waziri was absent from her desk. We were unable to ascertain whether the EFCC chair tactically avoided Ribadu. The commission’s summons to Ribadu to appear in their offices had generated much bad blood leading Ribadu to seek a court injunction restraining the agency from arresting him. Civil rights advocates as well as transparency groups had also questioned the commission’s strategy to hound Ribadu and to plant reports in the local press falsely alleging that he owns expensive property in the UK and other countries.   

Ribadu was said to have met with the commission’s secretary. He reportedly waited for about an hour because all other officials at the EFCC told him it was "Madam" Waziri alone who could explain why the agency asked him to present himself. The commission’s head of operations, Mr. Tunde Ogunsakin, was also absent from office during Ribadu's visit.

Saharareporters made repeated phone calls to the EFCC spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, to ask why the EFCC chair was not available to meet with Ribadu, but he did not pick our calls. He also failed to respond to our text messages on the issue.

Ribadu's reappearance today in Abuja has put paid to speculations in the Nigerian media that he has left Nigeria and gone on exile as threats against his life mounted from all angles.

Inspector General of Police Mike Okiro and a few other top brass of the Nigerian Police Force have led a campaign to harass Ribadu and possibly drive him from the police force. Okiro is believed to be taking instructions from disgraced former and serving governors led by former Governor James Ibori of Delta State and Bukola Saraki, the current governor of Kwara State.

The former and serving public officials were the targets of money laundering investigations or prosecution when Ribadu ran the EFCC. A coalition of these indicted officials sponsored Mrs. Waziri to replace Ribadu as head of the anti-corruption agency.

Source: http://www.saharareporters.com/www/news/detail/?id=788

@ Cre8tivity & Muza

I guess you guys have finally exposed yourselves. Your arguments against Ribadu on another thread initially I took as honest different views on an issue even though you guys were unable to prove any of your false allegations against this brave anti-corruption field marshal in Nigeria.

But now, your desperate struggles coated with so much hatred to put down this fine, courageous young gentleman by every means available (like the old, ugly and retarded Aandokaa, Okiro & Farida) have exposed the fact you guys were either directly or indirectly hit by this great Ribadu guy.

No apologies if you or your direct or indirect was hit by this guy, surely it means you or they are guilty of corruption because till now no one has been able to prove that he or she was wrongly accused by Ribadu's original EFCC. It is just the price you or them have to pay for yours or their act (s) after all it is often said if do the crime, you do the time. 

Continue your hate campaigns for the finest and only true FACE of NIGERIA ANTI-CORRUTION war for now because it helps in bringing out the best of the guy's accomplishments. $ 6.5 billion recovered by this guy.

I honestly hope and pray Buhari or Atiku wins. Yar Adua has failed us with his 7 point non-agenda for close to 2 years.

Gen. Buhari, my most preferred, because of his strong Anti-corruption stand which I believe will solve some many issues in Nigeria now.

Waziri and EFCC’s $6.5bn

By Agency Reporter
Published: Thursday, 11 Dec 2008

Of recent, the EFCC’s boss, Mrs. Farida Waziri, has been celebrating that the anti-graft agency has recovered $6.5bn. What she has failed to reveal is the fact that the celebrated amount was recovered during the tenure of her predecessor, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, who is now being vilified.

If there is a need to discuss the achievement of the anti-graft body, Waziri should limit her claims to what the commission has achieved under her supervision.

While the world awaits the final word on the case of missing files of governors who were indicted during Ribadu’s era at the EFCC, the commission’s helmswoman is busy going after petty felons while big- time crooks move about unrestricted.

Source: http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art200812115322778

NLC warns Yar'Adua on Ribadu

Written by Funmi Komolafe    
Thursday, 11 December 2008
Page 1 of 3
*As the President seeks removal of immunity clause

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) deplored yesterday the treatment being meted to the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, warning that it could undermine commitment and determination of other public officials to serve government.

The union sent a letter of protest to President Umaru Yar’Adua on the situation, saying  Ribadu's ill-treatment called to question the committment of the Federal Government to anti-corruption, good governance and the rule of law.

NLC in the letter signed by its acting president, Comrade Peters Adeyemi, and General Secretary, John Odah, said government’s handling of the former EFCC chairman's case, “has many implications for the anti-corruption stand of your administration and the promise of good governance based on rule of law which your government has declared to be committed.”

However, President Yar’Adua at the launch of a fresh initiative in the war against corruption tagged Anti-Corruption Revolution (ANCOR) called for the removal of the immunity clause from the constitution.

The NLC in its letter said: “The case of Ribadu as currently being handled will undermine commitment and determination of other public officials to serve government if the message being sent is that you are establishing a precedence that government cannot protect public servants who served it.

This in particular will demoralise officers of the EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies. Secondly, the persecution of Ribadu will embolden corrupt public officials knowing that the EFCC has been demoralised. This will have serious implication on the prospect of good governance in the country.”

Recalling that Ribadu was appointed by former President Obasanjo at a time that “declaration to fight corruption was popularly accepted by our citizens," it said the appointment endeared the regime to the popular imagination of Nigerians. "In those early years, he (Ribadu) demonstrated a rare courage and determination to track down corrupt people and practices in the country.

He was successful in de-mystifying the criminal elements who took the nation hostage, economically and politically. To his credit, the fear of the EFCC became the beginning of wisdom,” it said.

NLC said although public officers had continued to steal in office, they did not do with impunity during the Ribadu years.

It said with the unfortunate handling of Mr. Ribadu’s affairs by the government, “there will be the inevitable perception by the public that this government is ready to aid suspected corrupt politicians to punish those who have fought against corruption.”

Admitting that the EFCC under Ribadu had its excesses, the NLC wrote: “In the process, Nuhu Ribadu and the EFCC under him might have made mistakes. Some of these mistakes were considered to include his penchant to dispense with due process in his pursuit of suspected criminals, his disregard of court ruling, and his willingness to allow himself and the EFCC to be used as a tool for political witch hunting.

“No doubt, some of these mistakes, indeed excesses, were the result of both personal shortcomings of Ribadu and the institutional weaknesses of the EFCC. These were the weaknesses the former President might have exploited in his political battles,” NLC said.

NLC drew the attention of President Yar’Adua to Mr. Ribadu case against the police authorities. “Given that the case is before a law court, we believe that what the police need to do in the circumstances is to allow the court processes to be completed especially as the court will give the Police Service Commission an opportunity to hear its arguments on its action,” it said.

“Since the recall of Ribadu from the EFCC and the appointment of a new Chairman for the anti-corruption body, Ribadu himself has become a subject of what many Nigerians rightly or wrongly perceive as a backlash by some of the politicians who were at the receiving end of Nuhu Ribadu’s anti-corruption crusade. Among the instances of perceived persecution was the nullification of his promotion to the position of Assistant Inspector-General (AIG), which was reversed to Deputy Commissioner of Police.

“Secondly, there was the attempt to throw him out of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) where he was officially sent on course. This was followed by his forceful physical prevention from graduating.

“Now, his latest trouble is that he is facing a Disciplinary Commission of the police for going to court for what he perceived as unfair action of the Police Service Commission in demoting him. “Unfortunately, as the case is now, government will find it difficult to explain to the Nigerian public that it is not being used in the backlash against Ribadu.

While the public is willing and has in fact accepted many of the mistakes of the EFCC under Ribadu, they are not willing to accept that what is happening now is not a fight back against Ribadu by many of the politicians who have been exposed as corrupt, but have now found themselves back in government, either directly or by proxy.

“On the basis of the above, the NLC is firmly of the view that this development is not in the interest of government nor in the government’s long term commitment to fight corruption in the country. For this reason, therefore, we call on Your Excellency to intervene and let Ribadu be,” the NLC said

Yar’Adua seeks removal of immunity

And flagging off the launch of the Anti-Corruption Revolution (ANCOR) by the EFCC in Abuja yesterday, the President said the immunity clause which shields  the President, Vice-President, Governors, Deputy Governors, from prosecution for any act of  corruption while in office, had become a cover for non-performance, ineptitude and corrupt practices.

He, therefore, called on the National Assembly to expunge the clause from the constitution to save the nation some excesses that may emanate from the continued observance of  the clause in the constitution.

“Some of the steps and measures we may have to take in order to entrench the fight against corruption is to look at some of our laws. I want today to call for the abrogation of the constitutional provision of the immunity clause for President, Vice President, Governors and Deputy Governors,” the President said.

The President lamented that “corruption in Nigeria is a major problem. Corruption is endemic in this country. There is absolutely no way this nation can achieve it potential unless this challenge is confronted frontally  by all Nigerians.”

He commended the EFCC for coming up with the ANCOR initiative but tasked it to be unsparing in its dealing with corrupt government and non-government officials.

“I want to remind the EFCC that you must be ruthless, totally energetic in the pursuit of corrupt officials: prosecuting them and sanctioning them and bringing them to justice,” he stressed. 

He also promised government’s commitment to strengthening all anti-corruption agencies in a bid to drive home the lessons of zero tolerance for corruption on Nigerians.

Some state governors that graced the occasion were unanimous in their support for the abrogation of the immunity clause.

Governor Aliyu Babangida of Niger State said the President’s call came at the right time in the life of the nation when the people needed accountable and responsible leaders at all tiers of government.

Chairman of the  EFCC, Mrs Farida Waziri, on the occasion said: “The challenges that confront us today in the fight against corruption can only be overcome by a simultaneous and coordinated big push by the people.

They are the direct victims but many are nevertheless ignorant and often enlisted to defend their real enemy, the corrupt.”

Source:http://www.vanguardngr.com/content/view/23891/41/

Supreme Court Verdict: Where I Stand.-Abubakar Atiku

Last View on Thu 11th December, 2008
Last Modified on Wed 10th December, 2008 11:05:14 am
Author: Posted by Admin Sahara

Atiku Abubakar, AC Presidential Candidate, April 2007 Presidential Election.

Naturally, as stakeholders it is our desire that the apex court would redress the injustice done to us by the ruling party Peoples Democratic Party in the April 2007 Presidential election which was brazenly rigged by those who were bent on capturing power by hook or by crook. We would be most delighted if the verdict turns out in our favour because it is the right thing to do. We have devoted so much time and resources to prove our contention that the election was a sham.

If, however, the Supreme Court rules against us for whatever reason known to the Justices, I will have no hesitation but to abide by the verdict.

As a responsible and law-abiding politician, my commitment to the rule of law, peaceful quest for justice through our nation’s judicial institutions remain unshaken. Also, my commitment to the oneness of Nigeria is non-negotiable. But while reiterating my belief in the rule of law and peaceful avenues for legal redress, I am not losing sight of the repercussions of deodorizing the unprecedented fraud in the 2007 presidential election. Such a decision will deepen our sense of injustice over the electoral heist perpetuated by anti-democratic forces last year.

All eyes are on the Supreme Court Justices and whichever way they deliver their verdict on our appeal, will have far-reaching impact on the future of democracy in Nigeria. The hope of most Nigerians is that the judiciary has the ultimate responsibility to rescue our democracy from the throes of death. Nigerians look forward to the Judiciary, particularly the Supreme Court, to save this wobbling country from the abyss.

Last week, hundreds of precious lives and property worth billions of naira were destroyed in a senseless, large-scale violence in Jos as a result of perceived injustice in a local government election. The resort to self-help comes when people feel that they cannot get justice using the due process of law. I hope and pray that the Supreme Court will not validate the fraudulent outcome of the April 2007 Presidential election and thus perpetuate injustice in Nigeria, as Othman Dan Fodio once said a nation can endure unbelief but it cannot endure injustice.

Source: http://www.saharareporters.com/www/report/detail/?id=674

Supreme Court Set To Rule on Presidential Election Dispute

Last View on Thu 11th December, 2008
Last Modified on Wed 10th December, 2008 10:45:29 am
Author: Posted by Admin Sahara
SaharaReporters, New York

Barring a last minute change of mind, the seven-man panel of the Supreme Court hearing the presidential elections petition appeal is likely to deliver its verdict on Friday December 12 2008, according to sources within the Nigerian apex court.

As Saharareporters had earlier reported, Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa slipped out of Nigeria on Sunday on a trip meant to leave the impression that he was not in town to influence the court’s judgment. Aondoakaa is reportedly visiting Rome via London. His return is planned to coincide with the date of the ruling if all goes as planned.

Since the Supreme Court heard the final submissions from all the parties in the appeal challenging Yar’adua’s “victory” in the flawed April 2007 presidential elections, SaharaReporters has reported the covert twists and manipulations by Aondoakaa and other Yar’adua handlers to influence the court’s decision. Operating with a budget of more than $30 million, Aondoakaa has coordinated efforts to bribe or blackmail the justices in order to subvert the course of justice.

Our revelations, which include publications of the memos of the Supreme Court conferences on the matter, have led to sharp disagreements amongst the justices.

Our latest information is that Aondoakaa and other officials of the Yar’adua regime have been telling the justices that the media was out “to de-stool a sitting president by blackmailing the court.”

Our sources said the Yar’adua camp has been in a state of “controlled panic” following Chief Justice Legbo Kutigi’s reported refusal to disclose his stand on the appeal.

Another source told SaharaReporters that some justices were “shocked to learn that Michael Aondoakaa has so far reportedly blown $30 million to influence the judgment.” One justice told the our source “Aondoakaa must have pocketed the money for himself.”

Another source at the Supreme Court told SaharaReporters that each justice on the panel has written a separate judgment to be submitted to the Chief Justice on Thursday night – after which the justices will be sequestered in a secret location before the ruling earlier scheduled for Friday.

OUR LAST STORY ON THE SUPREME COURT:

Aondoakaa Harasses Top Civil Servant to Please Chief Justice Kutigi

Last View on Wed 10th December, 2008
Last Modified on Sat 29th November, 2008 7:10:30 pm
Author: Posted by Admin Sahara
SaharaReporters, New York

Sources within the Nigerian judiciary as well as the Petroleum Equalization Fund have revealed to Saharareporters that Attorney General and Minister for Justice Michael Aondoakaa has launched a war against the Fund’s female executive secretary for “having the effrontery to suspend the son of Chief Justice Legbo Kutigi of the Supreme Court.”

Aondoakaa has launched a barrage of verbal threats against PEF executive secretary Adefunke Sharon Kasali for recently suspending Ibrahim Kutigi, an operation officer 2 on Salary Scale 6 representing the PEF at the ASCON Depot in Lagos. Ibrahim Kutigi was suspended on October 20, 2008 when Mrs. Kasali paid an unscheduled visit to his office only to find out that he was absent from work. Instead of being at his post in Lagos, Mr. Kutigi was in Abuja attending to his personal business interests. His absence earned him a suspension alongside two other workers, one of them being Sanusi Tsafe.

Ibrahim Kutigi’s suspension was supposed to last three months, but the Chief Justice reportedly asked Aondoakaa to intervene on his son’s behalf.

An irate Aondoakaa, who has been spending millions of dollars to coax Supreme Court justices to uphold Umaru Yar’adua’s “election,” then ordered the permanent secretary of the Petroleum Resources Ministry to direct Mrs. Kasali to recall Ibrahim Kutigi without further delay. When the Permanent Secretary seemed too slow in getting Mrs. Kasali to reverse her decision, Aondoakaa called the executive secretary directly and threatened to have sacked, according to sources familiar with the drama.

A scared Kasali immediately recalled Ibrahim Kutigi and ‘promoted’ him as head of a department in her office in Abuja effective from Monday, December 1, 2008. 

Despite this overture, Mrs. Kasali’s troubles were far from over. Aondoakaa, who accused her of trying to “sabotage the Yar’Adua government,” instigated unions at PEF against her, all in an attempt to prepare the ground for her removal from office.

As part of the moves against the woman, senior staff members of PEF refused to take promotion examinations scheduled to take place today. They claimed that they want all pending promotions of senior staff members cleared before they would participate in any further promotions examinations.

SaharaReporters contacted Mrs. Kasali through a text message, but she sent Goddy Nnadi, the PEF’s head of Public and Government Affairs, to speak with us. Mr. Nnadi confirmed that the senior staff exams did not take place as scheduled before his phone signals faded away. Our repeated calls to his number went unanswered.

Kutigi's son’s saga at PEF comes as SaharaReporters has received highly reliable information that Aondoakaa has told Yar'adua that five Supreme Court justices have agreed to validate Yar’adua’s fraudulent mandate in exchange for substantial inducement.

Investigations by SaharaReporters revealed that Aondoakaa, who is anchoring the bribery scheme, has so far spent $30 million to purchase Supreme Court judges. Our sources named Chief Justice Kutigi as one of the five lined up behind Yar’adua.

Our sources said part of the plan is for Aondoakaa to travel out of Nigeria for a few days before the judgment to give the impression that he had no input into or foreknowledge of the verdict. (Note: Aondoakaa is currently in Rome, he returns to London on Wednesday -tonight- and heads to Nigeria on Thursday and straight to the Supreme Court on Friday)

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that the Supreme Court justices had entered into a deal to sell electoral justice to the highest bidder. After our reports, which were not publicly contested, a member of the seven-member Supreme Court panel mentioned in our report, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, was nominated as a member of the Federal delegation to annual hajj in Saudi Arabia. Justice Musdapher recently withdrew from the hajj delegation after Baba Galadima of The Buhari Organization (TBO) raised questions about his inclusion in the delegation.

Despite Justice Musdapher’s withdrawal, investigations by SaharaReporters revealed that he did not return monies already paid to him by the hajj committee for sundry expenses. He claimed that the fees went into his single trip to a hajj camp in Gombe.

SaharaReporters has repeatedly reported that Justices Musdapher and Aloysius Iyorgher Katsina-Alu were Aondoakaa’s spearheads in the scheme to bribe members of the apex court.

If Aondoakaa’s “interim report” to Yar'adua holds, the following five justices are in the bag to vote to uphold Yar’adua’s “election:” Katsina-Alu, Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnonghen, Chief Justice Legbo Kutigi, Aloma Mariam Mukhtar and Dahiru Musdapher.

SaharaReporters learnt that Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen was leaning towards invalidation of the presidential polls until the Yar'adua team recruited Mr. Kanu Agabi, former President Olusegun Obasanjo's attorney general, to “work on him.” Agabi reportedly blackmailed Onnonghen “by reminding him of his sordid past,” said one of our sources.

Before his controversial elevation to the Supreme Court justice, Justice Onnoghen who is from Cross River State had worked at the Court of Appeal. He was indicted by a panel headed by Justice Kayode Eso that looked into the activities of the judiciary. Even so, Agabi, who was Obasanjo's AGF in 1999 and who had recommended him for elevation to the Appeal Court, had helped to get Justice Onnoghen off the hook. SaharaReporters reliably gathered that Onnoghen capitulated when Agabi approached him and warned that his troubled past might come into focus if he refused to rule in favor of Yar'adua.

Incidentally, Agabi is the lead attorney for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the final stage of the presidential elections appeal case before the Supreme Court.

SaharaReporters also learnt that Chief Justice Kutigi, worried about the repercussions of an unpopular verdict validating Yar’adua’s “election,” is looking for ways not to be held singularly responsible for the judgment.

“Justice Kutigi feels his hands are tied,” said a source close to the CJ. “He knows their judgment is bound to displease the Nigerian people, so he doesn’t want to carry the can alone.” Our source said Kutigi was weighing asking the justices to write separate judgments based upon their understanding of the case.

“It’s his way of holding the justices individually responsible for their judgments,” said another source. “But Aondoakaa and Yar'adua’s other handlers are not comfortable with the arrangement. They had bargained for Musdapher and Katsina-Alu to write the judgment on behalf of the seven-man crew, with the possibility of Justices Oguntade and Nikki Tobi writing a dissenting judgment if they so wish.”

Source: http://www.saharareporters.com/www/news/detail/?id=787

chidichris:
am only basing my arguement on the general outcome of his actions on nigeria and nigerians.
one has to look at the end product.
did the war reduce the level of corruption in nigeria or rather increase it?
in his years of fight how many of the national figures was he able to bring down?
we all know the big names and we know how ribadu was with them.
in nigeria, another name for babangida is corruption. we know atiku/obj is equal to corruption. we know bode george and the npa, tony annenih and the federal roads contracts,we know andy uba and his money laundary issues in the usa.
obj was also the oil minister for seven and half years and all these names never mean corruption to saint ribadu.
the only corrupt people in nigeri are alams, kalu and a few others including our cyber boys.
who is orji uzor kalu and what is his relevance in  the nigerian corruption compared to the federal criminals that we all know.
issues are obvious here on selected justice otherwise why was mrs Etteh of house of reps not arrested on the day of her impeachment like was on the day of alamasiya? why was andy uba no humiliated like his co-international criminal alamasiya? why was less than  20% of our past govs charged while over 80% work tall till date? does that make them clean?

ribadu is not different from el-rufai and as soon as he submitts to any authority in nigeria, his sins will be made known to all.

Please come to Aba, you will understand who the Bastard is and his relevance to corruption including his propaganda newspaper "the stinking SUN"

"Another of such petitions is the handiwork of two lawyers, Messrs Ogboli Charles and Ugochukwu Ogbuagwu, who accused Ribadu of buying a property in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and another one in Abuja. The cost of the two buildings was put at N699million. The Dubai property, allegedly located at the emirate's Palm Beach Estate cost N3.9billion, while the one in Abuja attracted N200million. Ribadu has denied the allegations and was recently cleared by the government of the United Arab Emirates, UAE. A letter signed by an official of the UAE, Mohammed Subair, said: "If Mallam Nuhu Ribadu truly bought a house in Dubai or received a mansion as gift, Dubai's crime investigations will furnish us with the necessary information about the sale, the agent (s) involved, as well as the identity of the buyer. That is the standard practice in Dubai and that is why it is different from Nigeria."

Source:http://www.saharareporters.com/Column84.php

REFUTATION: Nuhu Ribadu Does Not Own a House in Abuja and/Or Dubai-Olorunyomi

Last View on Tue 9th December, 2008
Last Modified on Wed 09th January, 2008 3:40:18 pm
Author: Posted by Admin Sahara

The attention of Nuhu Ribadu, Executive Chairman, EFCC has been drawn to a mass of allegations which have been given generous space in the media.

The publications of allegations against Ribadu arise from the attempts by two lawyers to compel the Inspector General of Police to initiate investigation into allegations that Mr. Ribadu purchased and owns properties in Abuja and Dubai. They are also praying the court to compel EFCC to render the Commission's audited accounts and submit same to the National Assembly.

Mr. Ribadu wishes to state categorically that:

1.     He DOES NOT own houses in Abuja or Dubai or any other part of the world, other than his personal house built in his village in Yola, in the early 1990s;
2.     Apart from that, Mr. Ribadu owns a yet-to-be-developed plot of land in Katampe, an undeveloped district of Abuja, which was acquired in 1998;
3.     Apart from his official EFCC salary account, Mr. Ribadu does not operate a bank account anywhere else in the world;
4.     Like other Fulani, Mr. Ribadu also owns cows which he rears in his village;
5.     Mr. Ribadu hereby grants express permission to anyone who finds that he has assets other than those declared above, to seize them without further reference to him;
6.     When his official residence which belonged to the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) was, in line with the policy of the last administration, offered for sale along with other houses in the area, Mr. Ribadu could not muster the funds to purchase the said house.   However, sensitive to the possibility of a conflict of interest arising if he approached banks for a loan, given his position as EFCC Chairman, Ribadu nearly lost the house until his father-in-law, Professor Iya Abubakar, intervened. It was the Professor who bid for the house at a public auction and took a facility from his bankers, Fidelity Bank, to purchase the house, which cost N44m.   As it is, Mr. Ribadu and his family are is presently living in the Mambilla street house thanks his father-in-law. All records pertaining to this transaction are available at the FCDA for anyone who wishes to check.

7.     It must be stated that as a public officer, Mr. Ribadu has dutifully sworn to oaths declaring his assert as and when due.  The declarations are public documents and can be accessed at the appropriate agency for purposes of verification, seizure of undeclared assets and prosecution if need be.

Further, Mr. Ribadu is saddened that otherwise learned gentlemen lend themselves as vehicles for the purveyance of obviously false allegations that the Commission has not been making annual renditions to the National Assembly in line with Sections 35 and 36 of the EFCC Establishment Act, 2004. The simplest check that people can carry out is to ask their representatives in both chambers of the National Assembly to find out whether the Commission had ever neglected to comply with those provisions of the Act and if indeed it has been submitting details of its audited accounts and a compendium of its activities, every year, since its inception. 

EFCC wishes to state that being sensitive to the peculiarities of its operations and environment, the Commission has even gone beyond the demands of the Act to engage highly professional external auditors (other than government-appointed auditors) to audit and re-audit its books.  These reports have been routinely submitted to the National Assembly before the 30th day of September, every year, since 2003.


A cursory study of the allegations not only shows that they are pitiably shallow, but also throws up the unmitigated desperation of certain groups of people who have an axe to grind with the EFCC, to employ all tactics to embarrass its key officials, divert attention from their justified investigation and prosecution and ultimately derail the work of the Commission.

While Mr. Ribadu is saddened by the fact that enemies of the anti-corruption war would stop at nothing in the bid to sully its image, he welcomes the opportunity offered by the lawyers to deal squarely with the wild and resurgent allegations from which have regrettably spawned endless pepper soup joint plots for the Nigerian theatre of the absurd.

The attention of Nigerians is drawn to the fact that these kinds of wild allegations have always attended the work of the Commission. Right from inception in 2003, EFCC has faced all manners of unsubstantiated allegations, from operating torture chambers, to grand corruption. Even as we made to conclude this response, we learnt that gun-running has been added to the long list of dreamt-up allegations against EFCC.   The attempts at blackmails would definitely continue as long as EFCC continues to do carry out its functions with determination. But, Nigerians are advised to be wary and to always be guided by what we have said in the past that, "When you fight corruption, it fights you back."

Dapo Olorunyomi
Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman.

Source:http://www.saharareporters.com/www/letters/detail/?id=322

maxsiollun:
, still no one has explained why RIbadu "deserves" his current suffering. Please someone tell me what CRIME he committed to warrant all the abuse he has received?

Also, can someone please give me the name of one innocent person that Ribadu's EFCC prosecuted?

Pally I tire O! all those shit head critics never fit mention just one name. Just one for over 6 days now. Very daft Nigerians. Imagine!

Oyibo X,

Thanks for your fair and balanced contribution. As you already know this forum have been divided into pro and anti Ribadu but the real issue here for me is not about Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, it is actually Nigeria that is on trial and failing. It is a sensitive and painful issue.

Ribadu, whether you like it or not is the face of Anti-Corruption in Nigeria just like the likes of James Ibori, Mike Aandooka, Farida Waziri and Mike Okiro represents Pro Corruption.

Fighting that guy at this point in time is bad for this country because even his die hard critics cannot fault the fact that he fought corruption. All the achievements Madam Farida declared on world's anti-corruption day were Ribadu's achievements. She is been there for over 6 months now and we are yet to hear anything positive about her EFCC.

I love this part of your comment: My view right now is that Ribadu at least did an effort - yes certain people he could not touch and it might not be fair to be selective, [b]however they are all criminals and should be prosecuted, one step at a time - sure the new chairman can the start pointing the other bad guys out, that Ribadu left behind.[/b] Ribadu moreover created awareness, attention to the problems, fear amongst offenders, proof that something can be done - if he didn't take all, then make sure you employ good people where bad ones left and the next EFCC takes care of the rest?

For the guy's critics, please keep up the good works, it helps us all to have a better understanding of the whole drama. Please try and include evidence just like the Pro guys are doing. One Love Nigeria.

EFCC Chair Farida Waziri gets $500,000.00 “Mercedes Jeep” bribe from Akwa Ibom Governor; Ibori celebrates Nuhu Ribadu travails

Last View on Sat 6th December, 2008
Last Modified on Fri 05th December, 2008 5:44:20 pm
Author: Posted by Admin Sahara
SaharaReporters, New York

Two months ago, at a retreat for EFCC officials in Lagos, Mrs. Farida Waziri stunned her listeners with the very last words they expected of her.  She said, "Well, I know that you all work very hard, this is Nigeria and people will offer you gifts to say thank you for your work, please accept it but make sure you spread it round".

Some of the shell-shocked participants called SaharaReporters to report that statement.  In turn, we immediately contacted the EFCC spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, who denied that Mrs. Waziri had made the remark.  He went on to issue a curious statement to the local media declaring that Mrs. Waziri had spoken the exact opposite of what the retreat attendees had reported.

That gathering was the first at which the EFCC began to unfold its new philosophy and alliances in public, even as the influence of Yar'adua’s lawyer, Wole Olanipekun, began to ripple around the agency. Olanipekun, who was once interrogated by the EFCC for money laundering, was a keynote speaker at the retreat.


As SaharaReporters found out, Mrs. Waziri is currently living by the creed she disclosed at that Lagos retreat. We have documented a series of corrupt activities engaged in by Mrs. Waziri, in concert with her fellow Benue-born brother-in-crime, federal Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa, to collect bribes from—among others—the governors of Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Rivers States.  Up till today, Mrs. Waziri has not tried to debunk any of those reports.

In an update, our investigators in Abuja have found that Mrs. Waziri is in receipt of another "big gift" from the Governor of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Obot Akpabio.  Courtesy of the thieving governor of Akwa Ibom, Mrs. Waziri is now the proud owner of a Mercedes Benz GL 450 Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV).

Known as "Mercedes Jeep" in Nigerian parlance, the car was delivered to her two days ago, December 3, 2008. The chassis number on the vehicle is WDC 1648711A 390877 (It carries a WDC because it was branded by US automaker DaimlerChrysler).   On its website, the automaker says of the car, "The Mercedes-Benz GL-Class (code name X164) is a DaimlerChrysler full-size luxury crossover SUV built by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz since the 2007 model year." The brand new car cost N68 million  (estimated at $500,000) dollars, because it is fully armored (bullet proof.)


SaharaReporters has confirmed that the car was driven to a house in Gboko, Benue state by Mrs. Waziri's driver. The house is located in the GRA area in Gboko.  A source described the location of the unregistered car as being a property next to Mr. Ambrose Feese, the former managing director of Nigeria Merchant Bank.  The destination of the car may change quickly as this report becomes public.  An aide to Mrs. Waziri told Saharareporters the EFCC chairwoman intends to claim it is a gift from her husband.


The latest revelation of Mrs. Waziri's corrupt lifestyle is nothing new. Saharareporters has reported her shopping spree in the UK, as corrupt former and serving governors recruited her to the EFCC job. She is also widely known to be a lover of expensive jewelry and other luxurious items.


The revelation of the car gift is coming on the heels of her continued collaboration with former Inspector generals of Police who now act as bailers and guarantors for EFCC victims under her watch. Three former inspector generals of police, namely Gambo Jimeta, Aliyu Attah and MD Yusuf have been identified as serving as "virtual board of directors" of the EFCC according to an insider in the agency. The three retired IGs all have the hatred of Nuhu Ribadu in common as he refused their intervention to save former IG Tafa Balogun, who was found to have looted the police treasury to the tune of N17 billion.  Besides Aliyu Attah was noted for providing Fred Ajuduah with police outrider at the height of his "419" career and MD Yusuf never forgave Ribadu for interrogating him regarding the Haliburton bribe scandal.


SaharaReporters gathered that the three former IGs are working with Mrs. Waziri to sell Tafa Balogun's properties back to him under the pretext that the Ribadu-led EFCC did not follow due process in disposing of the properties. It has also been revealed that James Ibori might have had the $19 million bribe money he gave to Ribadu returned to him by the EFCC.  The former governor was heard boasting that his Nigerian criminal trial was over because he got his money back.


Last week, Ibori suddenly traveled to Accra, Ghana, in what was interpreted as a full-blown plot to exterminate Ribadu.  He reportedly made the tactical withdrawal in order to avoid being held responsible if anything happened to the diminutive former boss of the EFCC, but Ribadu was said to have gotten wind of the plan and gone underground. He is currently unreachable but sources close to him told Saharareporters that he is undergoing a "spiritual retreat" at the moment.  They, however, refused to disclose his exact location.  Contrary to some reports, our sources and searches of the arrival records into the US show that he is not in the US as being rumored.


Ribadu's predicament and the reports of his disappearance are being celebrated by some politicians, including the presidency.  The governor of Kwara State, Bukola Saraki, has personally called up several news editors prevailing on them to report that Ribadu has absconded to the US.  Meanwhile, Ibori, fresh from the festooning of INEC chairman, Maurice Iwu in Okigwe last weekend, shortly after returning from Ghana, boasted to his aides that he has accomplished three out of four things he wanted to do to Ribadu, namely to replace him as EFCC chairman, demote him from AIG to DCP, get him publicly humiliated  and jailed. 


Another report says that Mr. Ibori is negotiating the purchase of Abuja-based newspaper, Daily Trust, to strengthen his hold on the media.


Source: http://saharareporters.com/www/news/detail/?id=785

RIBADU: ‘We Stand By Our Story’—
5 hours ago, 395 views

Your darling newspaper (), yesterday, reported the disappearance of the embattled former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, from the country, to an unknown destination abroad.

Contrary to reports by some dailies, this morning, that Ribadu was still in the country, information they credited to unidentified sources, we maintain that Ribadu has fled abroad. Reliable sources and friends of the ex-EFCC boss confirmed our story.

Source: http://thepmnews.com/2008/12/05/ribadu-we-stand-by-our-story—

Where is Ribadu?

From George Oji in Kaduna, 12.05.2008

The whereabouts of the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EF-CC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, were unknown last night.
Lagos-based evening newspaper, PM News, reported that he had fled the country with his destination unknown.
But a source told THISDAY that he was still in the country.
Ribadu, who has been in the news lately following his maltreatment at the graduation ceremony of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSSS), was said to have disappeared two nights ago following a “serious threat” to his life.
“He got a call that told him in very clear terms that he would be killed,” a source told THISDAY late last night. “Remem-ber his car was shot at just two months ago. The bullet holes are still on his car. This time around, the threat was very clear and he decided to run for his life.”
Ribadu was due to face police panel in Kaduna yesterday for sundry offences, including appearing before President Umaru Musa Yar’Adau “in mufti” when NIPSS graduating students visited the President two weeks ago and for taking police authorities to court over his demotion from the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) to Deputy Com-missioner for Police (DCP).
With his departure from the country, police sources hinted last night that he might be tried and dismissed in absentia.
If Ribadu is eventually dismissed, it would be the third in a four-step action threatened against the former EFCC chairman by a former governor, as reported by THISDAY recently.
A former governor, who is said to be very close to the President, “had threatened in December last year that Ribadu would be removed as EFCC chairman and that he would be demoted thereafter,” the source had said. “He said Ribadu would then be dismissed from the force before he is eventually jailed.”
Yesterday, he failed to appear before the Police Disciplinary Committee headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ogbonnaya Onovo, sitting at the Police Officers Mess, Kaduna.
Ribadu was by a police signal dated November 25 expected to appear before the panel at 8.00 am yesterday to answer to allegations of indiscipline, disregard for rules and regulations of the force and serious acts of misconduct.
The Onovo panel commenced sitting in Kaduna on Monday and had been hearing evidence of some senior police officers who had disciplinary cases to answer.
Ribadu, who was slated to appear before the committee together with other officers, had  Tuesday, November 25, also failed to appear before a similar disciplinary panel at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
It was believed that the absence of Ribadu was not unconnected with the suit he filed at the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court seeking to challenge his demotion by the Police Service Commission (PSC).
On Wednesday, the former EFCC boss also instituted another action before the ECOWAS Court, Abuja, to stop the Inspector-General of Police (IGP)  from arraigning him before the Force Disciplinary Committee.
He wants the court to declare IGP’s directive for him to appear before the Committee a nullity because the Police boss lacks such statutory powers and all other steps taken by the police authorities to make him appear before the Committee
In the suit instituted on his behalf by his counsel, Charles Muse, Ribadu wants the Court to declare that by the virtue of Section 253(2) of the 1999 constitution, it is only the Police Service Commission that could discipline him.
The Onovo Committee which began sitting as early as 9.30am did not wind up until 5.30pm. It was gathered that the Committee members used yesterday’s sitting in the absence of Ribadu to review the evidence and submissions from officers who had appeared before it within the week and to also compile their report.
When approached by newsmen for comments on its sitting particularly as it affected the absence of Ribadu, Committee Chairman, Onovo, declined comments, saying that it was only the IGP, Mr. Mike Okiro, who could comment on the committee’s activities.
The Deputy Force Secretary and Commissioner of Police Suleiman Abbu had on behalf of the IGP last week issued Ribadu three queries.
On Tuesday, the globally respected anti-corruption watchdog, Human Rights Watch (HRW), frowned on Nigeria’s efforts to check official corruption, linking the “falter” to “a campaign of calumny” against Ribadu, after he decided to prosecute a “powerful” former governor.
The body, in a statement issued by its Associate, Africa Division, Mr. Thomas Gilchrist, called on the Federal Government to protect Ribadu, who informed the organisation that he had been subjected to an escalating campaign of harassment, threats and an apparent attempt on his life in recent weeks.
“I fear for my life,” Ribadu told the body. “I have made a lot of enemies.”

Source:http://www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php?id=130011

Ribadu Flees Nigeria: Destination Unknown
6 hours ago, 1,417 views
By Eromosele Ebhomele

Embattled ex-chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, may have sneaked out of the country.  It is believed that he may have finally chosen to go on exile following persistent harassment and threats to his life.

pmcover-thursday-copy.jpg

In the last few weeks, the leadership of the Nigeria Police, some agents of the Yar’Adua government and some former governors, facing trial by the EFCC, have combined efforts to humiliate him.

Family sources hinted P.M.News this morning, that he has been unreachable in the last 48 hours. Former associates also expressed worries about his whereabouts. But a source close to him informed P.M.News this morning, that he may have sneaked out through the land border via the old NADECO route, to an African country. His final destination is a Western country.

Ribadu had initially refused to succumb to pressures by members of his family and friends to proceed on exile in the face of threats to his life. He had insisted that since he didn’t commit any crime, he was going to stay in Nigeria and fight it out. Just yesterday, his lawyers filed a suit at the ECOWAS Court in Abuja, to stop the police authorities from harassing him.

Mallam Ribadu had alleged that unknown assailants recently trailed him on Jos Road, in Abuja, and shot at his vehicle, damaging his car’s windscreen. Ribadu was humiliated on Saturday, 22 November, 2008, at the graduation ceremony of NIPSS, in Jos, when he was bundled out of the ceremony. He was prevented from being given a certificate despite completing the course.

After the humiliation, the police and the EFCC invited him for questioning on his past activities as boss of the anti-graft body. Ribadu declined the invitations on the excuse that he had already taken the police to court over his demotion. Some aggrieved politicians, who are currently being tried by the EFCC for fraud, have vowed to stop at nothing to disgrace him.

He was demoted on 4 August, 2008, from the rank of an AIG to that of a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), by the Police Service Commission (PSC), which claimed  he was unjustly promoted by former president Olusegun Obasanjo. Prominent Nigerians, including Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN and Pastor Tunde Bakare condemned the humiliations meted out on Ribadu, and called on his detractors to leave him alone.

Source: http://thepmnews.com/2008/12/04/ribadu-flees-nigeria-destination-unknown

ken10000:
wait are u in evdo coverge
and how long did it take before they activated it

Nope Aba is a 1x coverage town. It took less than 24 hours to activate me.

Initialization usually ocurs when d software is trying identify n "boot" d modem
so if its failiing that mins:
----- d modem is not wel connected
or
----- d port allocated for it is not used
or
----- u shutdown witout disconnecting first
etc
wel go tru d options n restart u system if that doesnt wok reinstall d software (that is if u know ur way around it oh! ) or just tk it bak to dia office 4 them to clarify it for u ^{(i can see u r using vista so lets not complicate tins because this vista sef )}
Anyways tk kia n i hope this helps
cheers

[quote][/quote]Thanks my man, I have tried un-installing and reinstalling, still the problem persist. I suspect the port thing but my problem is how to locate the allocated port.

On the modem i see port 12 and can change the port number provided i can find the right port number allocated it. The guys at starcomms here couldn't fix it but i know Nairaland will and that is why i accepted it.

My connection has been activated yesterday through the dial up link but i want to fully maximize the izap function for calls, sms etc. The speed here in Aba is fair for a CDMA 1X town.

Please can someone [img][/img]here help in solving this problem. Just hooked up on Izap yesterday and couldn't get izap display working properly cause of this error (see attachment).

The guys at starcomms tried to no avail so they created a dial up network alternative to access the web. Thou yet to be activated more than 20 hours later.

What is failing the modem initialization. Possible causes and remedy will be highly appreciated. Thanks.

Bring Ribadu’s persecutors to justice

By Punch Editorial Board

Published: Thursday, 27 Nov 2008
The embarrassing and shameful scene enacted by some goons at the graduation ceremony for the Senior Executive Course 30 of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru over the appropriateness of the former Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Malam Nuhu Ribadu’s participation in the ceremony calls for an immediate action by the Yar’Adua administration.

Some security operatives had manhandled the former EFCC boss and, in a brazen display of lawlessness, forced him out of the graduation venue in the presence of the Vice-President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, and other important dignitaries. Ribadu was humiliated in the presence of his friends and family members.

The Federal Government has commendably moved to dissociate itself from the awful disregard for the rule of law displayed by Ribadu’s persecutors at the ceremony and has ordered the immediate release of his certificate. The government has also caused a panel to be set up to look into the flagrant violation of Ribadu’s rights at the ceremony. It is hoped that the President’s order will be promptly complied with by the NIPSS authorities.

It is imperative, however, that those behind Ribadu’s long-running ordeal should be exposed and brought to justice before they do further damage. Who are the people that soiled the human rights image of the country at Kuru? Who are those behind the desecration of Yar’Adua’s rule of law profile?

The Kuru incident appears to be part of a well-planned plot by a cabal to humiliate Ribadu, if not to destroy him. It is already in the public domain that the former EFCC boss will be tried on trumped-up charges and jailed for stepping on powerful toes while in office. When he was sent on the NIPSS course late last year, the tone of the press release on the controversial course clearly demonstrated the agony of a government caught in a mesh of confusion. It was obvious that the Kuru course was only a ruse. Part of the Inspector General of Police Mike Okiro’s justification then was that Ribadu’s course would prepare him for promotion. But as soon as the government muddled through the unpopular and illegal removal, the Police authorities moved again, demoting him from the rank of Assistant Inspector General of Police to Deputy Commissioner of Police.

After the demotion, there were still spirited attempts to abort his NIPSS course. Now, it is reported that Ribadu is being questioned for corrupt self-enrichment and failure to wear his down-graded ranks. Who then is behind Ribadu’s travails?

This government should apprehend Ribadu’s persecutors because they are already eroding the public confidence in the administration’s ability to uphold the rule of law, thus giving the impression that the President cannot exercise his powers properly and in the best interest of all. Indeed, the antics in easing Ribadu out of the EFCC without an official letter clearly stating that he had been removed marked the beginning of that diabolical plot.

When he was being sworn in on May 29, 2007, President Yar’Adua had pledged his determination “to intensify the war against corruption” because, as he said then, “its corrosive effect is all too visible in all aspects of our national life”. He had equally acknowledged that the nation had made significant progress in recent years and promised to maintain the momentum. There is no doubt that Ribadu was part of that “significant progress” recorded in the nation’s anti-graft war.

No matter his shortcomings, Ribadu is a national icon recognised globally as having done his best to stem official graft. It is on record that, under his leadership, the EFCC has notched up some unprecedented successes such as the convictions for graft of former IGP Tafa Balogun and former Governor of Bayelsa, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, among others. In the last few months of his leadership of the agency, the EFCC arrested a number of former state governors, including James Ibori over $85 million fraud allegation. Under him, the EFCC prosecuted over 400 cases and obtained about 120 convictions, including the $242 million case involving a Brazilian bank.

No doubt, some forces are bent on denting the Yar’Adua administration’s human rights record, undermining its rule of law principle and hijacking its anti-graft crusade. The Ribadu case has become a major embarrassment to this government and a dent on the nation’s democratic credentials. With the way Ribadu is being hounded, it may be difficult to get patriotic and committed people to serve the nation. The probe ordered by the Presidency should be thorough and its outcome made public. The nation is doomed if the cabal hounding Ribadu is allowed to emasculate and ground the whole machinery for fighting corruption.

Source: http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art20081127383657

Ribadu-hunt update: IG absent at own meeting; Farida Waziri caught in lies about Ribadu’s “properties” abroad

Last View on Wed 26th November, 2008
Last Modified on Tue 25th November, 2008 9:31:38 pm
Author: Posted by Admin Sahara
SaharaReporters, New York
The much anticipated meeting today between the Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro and former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nuhu Ribadu, whose maltreatment by the Yar'adua regime has become a public relations nightmare, did not take place after all. The IG was not in Abuja to attend the meeting he had called, and it was not clear if Ribadu showed up.

Police sources said Mr. Okiro reportedly left the country for Conakry, Guinea, to attend an urgent international meeting. He had invited Ribadu to meet with him following the completion of his nearly–aborted "Course 30" at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies. Mr. Ribadu’s was ejected from his graduation ceremony last Saturday in front of friends and family that had arrived to share the happy moment with him.

Mr. Okiro's absence from Abuja did not stop his office from issuing another query to Ribadu yesterday. The third query in a row, it accused Ribadu of dressing improperly to visit the "President." The accusation joins other petty offenses that could lead to a summary trial of Ribadu by a police disciplinary committee on December 4th 2008.

Saharareporters had previously reported that Ribadu's travails in the hand of IG Okiro and Mrs. Farida Waziri, the new head of the EFCC, will be escalated until the objectives of demoting him as a police officer, dismissing him from the force and putting him in jail are achieved.

Yesterday, a press parley aimed at briefing the media about the EFCC's anti-corruption week turned into another propaganda war against Ribadu as the EFCC chairperson gave some media houses information that accused Ribadu of owning properties in Dubai, London and Abuja.

The allegations were not new, but this time, it proceeded with the collusion of the local media which put themselves to the services of Mrs. Waziri by publishing the allegations without asking for proof or cross-checking them. Only the Abuja-based Daily Trust published one of the addresses in London, which it gave as "29 Kingsway, Leeds".  The other property, supposedly belonging to Ribadu in England, is said to exist in the "Chelsea area of London," according to other newspapers that reported the story. Ribadu was also accused of owning a flat at the Palm Beach in Dubai as well as number 11 Mambilla Street, Udi Hills, Maitama, Abuja.

The layers of misinformation began to unravel when Saharareporters officially requested the EFCC spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, to provide accurate information about the homes the EFCC said belonged to Ribadu in London and Dubai. Babafemi didn't respond to our e-mail, but when we called him to follow up, he only told our reporter that the reference to Ribadu related to a petition written against his person with nothing specific about property addresses in London. He, however, promised to get back to SaharaReporters with further information, if he stumbled on any. That promise had not been fulfilled as at the time of publishing this story.

Saharareporters investigators swept through property records and other public records in the UK, including the UK electoral roll, but found nothing relating to Nuhu Ribadu. In the course of our investigation, we purchased two records from the UK Land registry relating to the property located at 29 Kingsway, Garforth, Leeds, LS25 1BW, and found out that the property whose price was not stated, is registered to JULIE ELIZABETH HART of Woodlea, Moor End, Boston Spa, Wetherby W Yorkshire LS23 6ER.

A similar property of the same address in Huby Leeds was also accessed by our investigators who found out it was registered to LINDA ANNE SIMPSON of 29 Kingsway, Huby, Leeds LS17 0AL. It has a listed price of 155,000 pound sterling.

The nearest possible information concerning a Ribadu in the Leeds area is about a 23 year old Fatima Zara Ribadu, a Nigerian female at the University of Leeds who studies information systems. We traced her address to 23 Woodlea Street Leeds, UK and discovered that the property was purchased in 2000 by one "Ibrahim Muhammadu Dodo" of the same address, and the property is worth 270, 000 pounds. While Fatima Ribadu shares the same middle name as Nuhu Ribadu's wife, Zara Ribadu, the Leeds student is clearly a separate entity from the former EFCC chairman, according to assorted information available about her. She is the daughter of Nuhu Ribadu's cousin, and is married to Dr. Ibrahim Dodo, a medical doctor in Leeds. Dr. Dodo owns the property, which was purchased via a loan.

The reference to two lawyers in the allegations against Ribadu concerns two Abuja-based self-styled "anti-corruption lawyers," Charles Ogboli and Ugochuckwu Osuagwu, who dragged Ribadu before a Federal High Court in Abuja last year accusing him of owning a piece of property worth several millions of dollars in Dubai. Attorneys to Ribadu in that case, Femi Falana Chambers, told Saharareporters that the two lawyers are yet to produce the address of the Dubai property (ies) they allege Ribadu owns. The next hearing in the case comes up next month, December 2008.

When Saharareporters contacted Ugochukwu Osuagwu, he told our reporters that his documentations are intact but also curiously claimed that Ribadu had admitted to the allegation in a sworn in affidavit filed before the court, which he supplied to SaharaReporters. But a cursory look at the affidavit shows that what Osuagwu claimed was Ribadu's admission of ownership of the unnamed Dubai property was a typographical error in the affidavit filed by a lawyer in Femi Falana chambers. The error was fully rebutted in the closing paragraphs of the affidavit where Ribadu clearly stated that he doesn't own properties in Dubai or elsewhere but in Abuja where his father–in-law, Professor Iya-Abubakar, purchased the house he currently occupies.

Sources told Saharareporters that both Charles Ogboli and Uguchukwu Osuagwu are working in tandem with the EFCC chairperson, Mrs. Waziri and some former governors to fight Ribadu. The characters of the two lawyers are currently under legal scrutiny before an FCT High Court in Gudu Abuja, where they stand accused of impersonation and extortion arising from letters they signed impersonating law enforcement officers with the intention of scamming a former junior minister in the Yar'Adua regime.  Our sources said the two lawyers are doing everything to help nail Ribadu so as to shake off the charges, which may be discontinued by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Michael Aondoakaa, as soon as the plan to nail Ribadu, with their help, succeeds.

Indications are that the plot against Ribadu has now moved into a desperate ding-dong stage, where he is expected to be tossed around between the Inspector General of Police and the EFCC chairperson as they search for the perfect strategy to put Ribadu away.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
RIBADU REFUTES:
Refutation of EFCC’s Baseless claim on Ribadu’s properties
Our attention has been drawn to wide media coverage in a number of publications suggesting that Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), bought and owned houses in Dubai, the United Kingdom, and Nigeria.

According to the publications, the leadership of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) also said, through its publicity office, that it has commenced investigations on Ribadu, based on “several petitions against Ribadu, which are being investigated at the moment.”

The EFCC also claimed that Mr. Ribadu did not declare his assets as EFCC Chairman before and after leaving office.

In its five-year existence, the EFCC has garnered a lot of local and international esteem on account of its sterling reputation for dogged investigation and efficient prosecution records.  Thus, for this reason, one would expect such an institution to show more fidelity for evidence and facts in other to protect its name, its sense of honour, and the competence of its leadership.

Apparently, these shaping values have little meaning to the current incarnation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). For the records, however, here are the facts:   


Mr. Ribadu states categorically today, as he did late last year when this same baseless rumour was advertised by these same forces, that:

1.    He DOES NOT own houses in Abuja, Dubai, the U.K or any other part of the world, other than his personal house built in his village in Yola back in the early 1990s;
2.    Mr. Ribadu owns a yet-to-be-developed plot of land in Katampe, an undeveloped district of Abuja, which was acquired in 1998;
3.    Apart from his official salary account, Mr. Ribadu does not operate a bank account anywhere else in the world;
4.    He has dutifully sworn to oaths declaring his assert when he was appointed Chairman, and is in the process now of declaring his assets after the completion of his course at Kuru.  Again, he urges the Commission in all its evident enthusiasm to proceed with the basic tenets of investigation of careful rather than tendentious scrutiny. 

5.    Regarding his official residence which has again being mischievously listed as a house he bought, here are the facts:
When the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), this is the  in line with the policy of the last administration, offered for sale along with other houses in the area, Mr. Ribadu could not muster the funds to purchase the said house.  However, sensitive to the possibility of a conflict of interest arising if he approached banks for a loan, given his position as EFCC Chairman, Ribadu nearly lost the house until his father-in-law, Professor Iya Abubakar, intervened. It was the Professor who bid for the house at a public auction and took a facility from his bankers, Fidelity Bank, to purchase the house, which cost N44m.  As it is, Mr. Ribadu and his family are currently living in the Mambilla Street house, thanks to his father-in-law. All records pertaining to this transaction are available at the FCDA for anyone who wishes to check.

6.    Since the Commission and its sponsors seem driven to conclusions without the care of preambles,   Mr. Ribadu hereby grants express permission to the EFCC or anyone who finds that he has assets other than those he declared before the Code of Conduct Bureau when he assumed office in 2003, to seize them without further reference to him;

Last word:
Mr. Ribadu is naturally saddened that an institution in which he worked earnestly and professionally with many patriotic colleagues seem eager to seek alliance with methods perfected by enemies of the anti-corruption war. He looks forward to a return to sobriety and professionalism at the Commission. 

Signed
Charles Musa Esq., LL.M, B.L, MCI. Arb

Source: http://saharareporters.com/www/news/detail/?id=780

Please post pictures (including interiors) of the trucks here for faster responses. I am interested in trucks and have so many transporters working with me who deal on trucks.

Are the trucks here in Nigeria and the price?

akaluka:
this story na lie!
no woman will admit she had sex with another except she just wants to
make you feel rejected or wants to dump you

I disagree with you. You are yet to really understand women. A woman can love you so much to confess anything emotionally without realising the immediate consequence until she has said it. I do not think the guy is lying because I have had misfortune (now fortune) of passing through almost similar situation in the past. Not every post is a fib. Rather than judge people post try and learn a lesson from the response other people give on an issue.

@ Poster,

My guy flee. Found myself in that kind of situation before. A relationship of 5 years. Couldn't see her in school on one of her birthdays due to something she knows about, but bought enough presents for her and drop in her house. Couldn't call, no GSM then. The result- someone else pick her up from school and sleep with her all through the weekend.

How did I know? She told me herself, said I was too nice to her and whenever she sees me, her heart troubles her. thought deeply over it, I forgave her and a year plus later she slept with the same guy again and still confessed it. Had to run. It wasn't funny. Had to beg GOD to free me from whatever feelings I had for her. At last my prayers were answered and I left without looking back till today.

For the past 5 years she has been begging to come back, calling herself a fool for allowing me go. She still called 2 weeks ago and sent me text on the fool stuff.

It was very painful then but when I look back now I laugh and thank my GOD for releasing me from her grip. Learnt a lot, the experience changed me for the better. You will be tempted to receive her, you will tell yourself things like "after all she was being honest" and a lot more, I did same thing. Whatever your decisions are,  I wish you luck!

@ Segunusaid

No wahala bro. Will be in lag this weekend, come back and jet again in Decemeber for Xmas. i thank GOD.

Segunusaid:
hi all,

I commend you all for wonderful tips that makes my day everytime am in the office.

I work for a US Agency in abuja, but formerly in Lagos field office but since i moved to abuja less than two months ago life has been boring, i thought by staying back in the office i can kill boredom but its hard for me becuase am not used to been alone.


I stay with a family friend for some time but immidiately i got an accommodation life has been so lonely,
please i need friends guys/ladies in abuja, you can reach me on segunusaid07@yahoo.com

I feel you my guy. Am also facing the same here situation in Aba. It is killing. At time I spend fortunes making calls just because of boredom. Been here for 3 months now from Lagos and I still feel like hell. I think you are a bit lucky, Abuja is a better place in terms of social developments, but here I feel like am going gaga at times. Have evertything in terms of making my apartment comfortable but yet the thing keeps going worse. Spending too much on boredom. My guy it the people you know that determines how well you enjoy a place, no worry I believe one day e go better.

@ All

Please pray not to experience what we are currently going through, It is not funny at all. Wish you guys the best.

Looking for a pretty chick residing in Aba to show me around this town. New in this town from Lagos, heard the girls are quite friendly but am yet to meet anyone, always busy @ work- close 6-7pm everyday except sundays. Need help badly before I go gaga.

Expecting your replies.

Ciao!