₦airaland Forum

OK. What do you want me to say? That I used to frisk my dad's clothes when I was in pry school? What goes around surely comes around. Nowaday kids (read little rascals) should give us some credit I beg. Not everything person go talk.

[quote author=Chapelle.S link=topic=358257.msg5005293#msg5005293 date=1259330276]A country where all the citizens are experts in complaining is nothing but land inhibited by cowards who die many times before their death according to Shakespeare.This is a nation where those who are killing us are courted and respected.Imagine the number of people who were visiting Bode George,a man who misappropriated about more than $500m of government funds that can guarantee free university education to all youths in Nigeria.Despite the enormous wealth inherent,the government cannot guarantee steady power,good roads,functional health care and education and affordable housing.The citizens are disfranchised because the elections are rigged.What I see are citizens who can only spit fire but cannot act.If you query them,they rant that they are protecting the unity of a country that is worse than Somalia that is war-torn.All they do is to admire Ghana.They refuse to recognize that all good governments and economies on planet earth were heralded by a revolution of a sought.We know what took place in our neighboring country Ghana before they got to this stage.The velvet revolution in Poland solved the problems of that country.Yugoslavia had to split into seven country as at today before they started moving forward.We are waiting for the hand of God to change things for us.Instead of God answering us He rather listen to serious countries who want to move forward.Instead of Nigerians calling on a sick president to resign,the cowards in Nigeria want him even if he is coma.It amuses me to see all these groups who come to Nairaland to form Internet "revolutionary fronts".We have over 150million people in this country.If 20 million can take to the streets of every state capital and Abuja in this country as is done in many Asia countries there will be serious change.Instead of taking to the streets to demand the implementation of the UWAIS report so as to wrestle the power to appoint the INEC chairman from president,we are yet relaxed and waiting for another electoral fiasco.What are Nigerians? They are all cowards in capital letters.[/quote]You never hear? Better a living goat than a dead lion. Our problem go self correct eventually. We will all be here to enjoy the benefits.

Pennywise is a confirmed heart thief. Always been. Cant help it.

Mama-gee/Amaka, Surely its sth you both like to think of when you grow up.

Alright folks, lets not get too excited. Try and make peace with your landlord if your relationship with him is frosty because the Landlord can make your life sooooo legally miserable in more ways your lawyer can imagine.

Obasanjo was also quoted as saying it was against the African custom and tradition for a widower to inherit the property of his wife

.

Hear a man whose entire life has been characterized by dubiety. Always looking for the easiest way out in times of tribulation.

Never minding and usually at the expense of what is right and proper- even if it means betraying his late wife. That is vintage Obasanjo. We saw it when state Govs were declaring mini republics and proclaiming Sharia laws under his watch. What a shame.

toideve:
who cares! for as long as i continue see money to fuel my gen no problem, they can go to hell for all i care

You see the typical Nigerian mentality. In other places what you get is an unending conflagration, work boycott and leaders held to ransome until money spent is accounted for.

What happens when your small petrol gen explodes like it did recently to one big man in Kano sending him to an early grave.

[quote author=inspired_m link=topic=313105.msg4986136#msg4986136 date=1259062807][b]
Mr PennyWise,

I had responded to the Price Issue, as regards options and total cost to own, but the Spam Robot keeps deleting the thread, I will send an email to the Admin to take car of that.

The Total Cost to own a Top of the range 2010 Mercedez Benz E350 is $75,000.

I detailed each price for each option added Considering the price that This Vehicle was bought in Germany ( Euros ) and i have always made it clear that the best German vehicles are the ones Sold in Germany albeit its a bit expensive it has always bn worth the price better than the US specs.

I Understand your embarrassment Knowing fully well that Inspired's cars gets sold even before showcasing them, But this case is deifferent.
In Imperial and Applied Marketing, I was taught that When you have a Product that is not available anywhere around your environment, try your best to attain the maximum offer Possible.

15 Million Naira is my asking Price and I have a price benchmark which i cant sell below and even when this car gets Sold, this Thread shall be well alive until the 2010 Mercedez benz E Class Sedan floods the Market.[/b]  [/quote]Thank you for elevating me to Mr here on NL where dem not get common respect. I can assure you now that there is no more embarrassment- whether imperial or applied.

For all you car buffs who think you know it all, now you know American specs is not all that where you have German specs.

Never underestimate the power of corruption.

South Africa gets a steady uninterrupted 75,000MW. Make all of una dey there they suffer.

Hello Luckyme

You seem desirous of doing what you can to further your brother's career because he 'perfomed' when you entrusted him with money to build your house.

But he is your brother, what would you expect him to do? Ordinarily, the temptation to misappropriate money under circumstances like this is high because the crooks themselves know they can get away with it. They recognize that structures here are weak, law enforcement completely unreliable (they can turn against you), agreement is nothing more than a piece of paper.

Identified killers, rapists armed robbers walk the streets unhindered in Nigeria and you are talking about some kind of written guaranttee for a business that is entirely of a financial nature! Come on. Not sure when you left Nigeria, but things have taken a far more desperate turn.

I dont live abroad but I have had experiences I have no wish to bore NLers with.The best thing to do (for anyone living abroad that wants to build a house) is take time off. There is so much you can do in a 4week holiday period. I am not aware people still go into that kind of arrangement.

$49,000 at N150 to the dollar comes to N7.35m (N9m away from offer price).

I really want to know of the explanation Inspired has because I feel personally embarrassed as a Nigerian that this car remains where it is 3mths after its spectacular launch on NL

The way I see it, this guy has been in this business for some time and has developed a modus that works for him. But I think he calculated wrongly by coming to NL.

Every car dealer in and outside NL now will be on the look out for an elderly-looking car thief on account of the publicity this matter will bring. I can imagine him already showing his naked belly to the cameras under Nigeria police supervision.

It appears their citizens can no longer trust the visa policy of their govt to regulate the influx of black people. Looks like they have found a far more efficient means to reduce the population of blacks.

I think it is only a matter of time b/f the British and the Americans follow suit.

AjanleKoko:
Nice post.
A lot of misconceptions are here. Firstly, a credit system is necessary, because even governments, big businesses, etc, need credit to extend their current reach. Credit ensures that goods and services can continue to be produced, financing for future business.
I.e. if there's no credit, goods won't be recycled frequently, and production will be stagnated, etc.

If I have a car, and have to save for 10 years to buy a new one, the car companies will produce far less, and people will be out of a job as a result. Ditto for home financing. New homes won't be built, since people cannot afford to buy the existing ones.

Come to think of it, it is because of credit in places like the US that 96% of the cars on the road in Nigeria are even there. If cars are not recycled to Nigeria, nobody would be able to buy new cars in Nigeria, and we would all be dependent on public transport, which doesn't really exist.
Nowadays there is financing for cars, housing, and even household utilities in Nigeria, which has boosted sales of these items, and technically provided more jobs for Kia, LG, and all the realtors developing in the Lekki axis, for instance.

As per prison system, etc. There are much more criminals in Nigeria, just that they never get caught. I mean, organized crime in Nigeria is not the mob; it is government, the armed forces, police, and what have you.

There is no doubt credit makes the system work. But the individual pays the price in being a prisoner to it in a supposedly free society. In Nigeria if you have a house it is your property and you can confidently bequeath to your dependent. No bank is coming to evict them on account of your being unable to meet mortgage terms. The same thing goes for virtually everything-cars, even cell phones etc.

Everything depends on who is making the choice.To some people the thought of being indebted to any institution especially on a personal level is unacceptable. But to others,kini big deal?

If James Ibori and his handlers think they have things under control with respect to these trials, they may have to think again. The whole thing reminds me of a wire-snare that has caught game. The more it moves, the tighter the nooze gets around its neck. As the drama unfolds I have no doubt the big man himself still has a couple of moves to dazzle his 'detractors'.

And If anyone is in doubt of Ibori's 'reach' and wealth, let him think again. Not easy to have an Attorney General of a country like Nigeria run around like a dog, a Judge ready to risk it all for one accused person or have a court built specially for you when you have been accused of a crime (that can send you to jail in America for the rest of your life).Add to this a hitherto unknown senior advocate (Ibrahim Isyaku) that is the prosecuting counsel for EFCC but has taken the center stage for the defence. Even a Nollywood writer cannot conjure a more interesting plot.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, Respect Nigerians Coalition as an organization believes in the inviolable principle of civilized justice, which states that every accused person is innocent until proven guilty. So, on that basis, we have no case against James Ibori, the former Governor of Delta State and his sister and associates on trial in Nigeria and the United Kingdom, because, as far as we know, they are yet to be convicted of any offence. However, we do have serious reservations about how the case against Ibori is being conducted in Asaba, Nigeria. We have followed the case closely and strongly believe that it is a sad example of how a case should not be prosecuted, defended or adjudicated.

Ibori arriving at the Kangaroo Court of Asaba
As citizens and stakeholders in the wellbeing of our nation, we, like most Nigerians, feel very strongly about the issue of political or public sector corruption and the obvious harm it’s done and is still doing to our body politic. Indeed, it is something that hardworking and law-abiding citizens of every nation must take seriously. For instance, figures released by the United Nations just a few days ago indicate that political corruption costs countries as much as £951 billion ($1.6 trillion) every year! It is nothing short of crime against humanity, because it not only kills development, it kills people en mass! As defenders of the integrity of Nigeria and Nigerians, be they at home or abroad, we believe that such a disease that has blighted the life of our nation so terribly must be fought to a standstill in any forum.
 
Thus, prosecutions of persons for corruption or for benefiting from corruption or handling proceeds of corruption naturally interest us, even as we fully respect the accused persons’ right to be considered innocent until proven guilty. That is why we have quietly followed the cases in Nigeria and United Kingdom and that is why we think it’s about time we speak up, so as to focus our minds on developments and their impact on the fight for justice and national dignity.
 
On Friday, 2 October 2009 at the London Southwark Crown Court, Judge Christopher Hardy, after days of listening to prosecution and defence counsels, took the decision to adjourn the trial of James Ibori’s sister, Christine Omatie Ibori-Ibie; his personal assistant, Adebimpe Folayinmi Pogoson and his mistress, Udoamaka Okoronkwo to Monday, 9 November 2009 on the grounds that he had received indications from the Federal High Court, Asaba that the case against Ibori will be concluded at most two weeks  from 26 October 2009. This is against the background of the defence consistently insisting that Udoamaka Okoronkwo be extradited to Nigeria to stand trial with Ibori, being the second accused person in the case going on at the Federal High Court, Asaba. They sought to create a nexus between both cases by claiming that if the case in Asaba is dismissed or if Ibori is declared not guilty, then there would be no basis to continue the case in England as the purported proceeds of crime for which the ladies are being tried are supposedly stolen public money from Ibori or related to Ibori.

At the time, we thought the judge made a Solomonic decision. Of course, it wasn’t exactly one strictly based on law, but according to the judge, he thought it would be fair to wait and allow the Asaba court conclude the Ibori trial, as it had promised to do within five weeks from thence. Though the Ibori people celebrated this decision like some kind of victory; it wasn’t. All the accused persons, including Okoronkwo, are to remain in England as their bail conditions weren’t varied.

More importantly, the judge on adjournment emphasised the fact that the outcome of the trial in Nigeria will not affect the trial in England in any way.  The reasons for this are obvious. There are two different issues at play in both courts and there are two different regimes of laws applicable. Nigerian criminal laws and legislations would govern the Asaba affair and the Proceeds of Crimes Act, the Criminal Justice Act and the common law will govern the UK trial. The UK processes and evidence do not depend on or have to follow the Nigerian one. They are two different jurisdictions. The accused persons are not accused of breaching Nigerian law in the UK, but of breaching the law of the United Kingdom in the UK and are thus answerable to the British judicial system, irrespective of what goes on in Nigeria.

In essence, the decision meant no more than simply postponing the substantive trial for a few more weeks if only to satisfy Judge Christopher Hardy’s desire to be seen as fair. More crucially though, it put the pressure on the judicial authorities in Nigeria, not only by internationalising the Asaba affair, but by creating a legitimate expectation that the Ibori case would have been concluded before the London trial resumes on 9 November, 2009.

Of course, there have been debates about whether or not Justice Marcel Awokulehin wrote directly to the London judge or whether it was Ifeoma Esogbue or one Mr Dawodu of the Registry of the Federal High Court, Asaba that did so. Or, indeed, whether as claimed by Emeka Arinze, one of Ibori’s lawyers, he was the one who sent it (in form of answers to his inquiries with the court) to Andrew Trollop QC (Okoronkwo’s lawyer in the UK) who then presented it to the London judge as evidence that the case is ongoing and would soon be concluded. Yet, whatever the truth about the source or authority of the said letter, one thing not in dispute is that it is genuinely from the Federal High Court, Asaba. Therefore, one would have expected the Nigerian judiciary to keep to its word. Sadly, not for the first time over this case, the Asaba court has been found wanting.

The danger signals have been flashing even before the case was first called up on Monday, 27 April 2009. First, the shady circumstances surrounding the origin of the court didn’t give room for much confidence. On 19 December 2008, the Justice Amina Augie-led Court of Appeal in Kaduna ordered that the case, which was originally being tried at the Kaduna Federal High Court, be sent back to the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to be reassigned to a court of competent and proximate jurisdiction. At the time of this decision, there was no Federal High Court in Asaba and there was no known plan to establish one there. But by April 2009, the court has been established and Honourable Justice Marcel Awokulehin who has had a close relationship with Ibori from their days as civilian operatives of the General Sani Abacha regime had been installed to hear the case against Ibori.

But all the above paled into insignificance when the trial really began and when the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) unveiled their lead counsel to prosecute the case. He turned out to be none other than Ibrahim Isiyaku (SAN), who just a few months before, while the case was ongoing at Kaduna, had in his capacity as an Independent Legal Consultant to the EFCC, given a very negative opinion on the chances for successful prosecution of Ibori and co. In fact, in a line-by-line destruction of the EFCC case against Ibori, he flatly declared that the prosecution of the accused persons on all the grounds will not succeed. He described the charges as “nebulous”, “wild”, “spurious”, “fishy and speculative”. In fact, none of the 170-count charge survived Mr Isiyaku’s crushing hammer and yet, he is the one EFCC brought forward to prosecute the same charges against Ibori in his maiden appearance on their behalf.

The fact that neither the judge, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) nor the judicial supervisory authorities saw this stone-cold conflict of interest for what it is says enough about the state of justice administration in Nigeria. Indeed, it is no surprise to some of us that all we have seen from the proceedings are the badly disguised attempts of the prosecution, defence and judge falling over themselves to give James Ibori a gold-embroidered get-out-of-jail card. In fact, by the time of the last adjournment (two weeks after the judgment has been written, according to Justice Awokulehin), no plea has been taken and the substantive case has not been heard. All that had happened were the unending lament over the absence of Udoamaka Okoronkwo, the constant adjournment for one frivolous reason or the other and the Ibori’s lawyers’ demand that the whole case be thrown out. Curiously, the judge conveniently interpreted the latter as a challenge of his jurisdiction, even though this same case was transferred by the Court of Appeal all the way from Kaduna precisely because the Federal High Court, Asaba was ruled as the proper jurisdiction!

Of all the above, the proceedings in Asaba over the absence of Udoamaka Okoronkwo was the most disturbing. It actually calls to question the real designs of those who purportedly want her home to stand trial with Ibori at Asaba. Of course, there is no doubt that many Nigerians believe that the concerted attempt to get her out of the United Kingdom is only aimed at stopping her from taking the witness stand in a United Kingdom court, considering that she is a key person in the prosecution’s case in London. In truth, following the developments on the legal front and the fact that she actually jumped bail only to be arrested and returned back to the United Kingdom from France, there is very little chance of her ever returning to the UK if she steps foot outside the jurisdiction. 

On 27 July 2009, the issue of her extradition reared its head again when Ibrahim Isiyaku, on behalf of the Federal Government, used the floor of the court to berate the British authorities for not relenting over the request for her extradition. Apparently, the Federal Government through the EFCC, in the form of an affidavit sworn to by Steven Otitoju (an Assistant Commissioner of Police and the man brought in to replace Ibrahim Lamorde as the Director of Operations) had given an undertaking to arrest and detain Udoamaka Okoronkwo in Nigeria throughout the period of her trial; but this was not enough for Geoffrey Rivlin QC, the judge in charge of the London case at the time. Having perused the affidavit and noting the factual discrepancies therein (for instance, a claim that men of the Metropolitan Police were due to give evidence in the case at Asaba when no such arrangements were made or contemplated) and having also considered the underhanded tactics being employed by Mr Michael Aondoakaa, the Nigerian Attorney-General, the judge was reluctant to trust them. Nonetheless, he indicated his willingness to accept an undertaking from Justice Marcel Awokulehin that he would secure her presence in Nigeria.

Mr Isiyaku curiously declared this demand on Justice Marcel Awokulehin as “insulting to Nigerian judiciary and legal system”. He did not wait for the judge being asked to speak on whether or not he was willing to make the undertaking; he simply made the decision for him by using the floor of the court, in front of the same judge, to tell the world why the judge cannot make such an undertaking. Mr Ibrahim Isiyaku, who claimed such a request is not allowed, ought to know that in our highly globalized world, the demand being made by Judge Rivlin was proper under the well-established principle of “judicial comity”, which allows foreign courts to grant reciprocal assistance or help one another in mutual pursuit of justice in a particular cause. It is not deference to foreign interest or foreign law, but a deference or respect to foreign courts as courts, rather than as agents or faces of foreign governments. Rather than this being based on strict legal principles, it is a practical and conventional way to resolve extra-jurisdictional issues that could scupper the proper administration of justice in any of the jurisdictions in question.

Beyond the legalese though, what this episode reveals is that Justice Awokulehin, for reasons best known to him, wasn’t in a position to independently make the decision on whether or not he was going to make the undertaking to secure Okoronkwo. Why did he allow Isiyaku to speak for him? Was Isiyaku not the one that made the application for a bench warrant on Ms Okoronkwo? So, why did he suddenly begin to say the same judge who issued the bench warrant cannot make the undertaking particularly because Ms Okoronkwo had not appeared before him? The fact is Isiyaku shouldn’t have been the one to speak on this matter and the fact that Justice Awokulehin to whom the request was addressed didn’t say anything on the issue is telling. More telling is the fact that he did not make the undertaking as requested. If the prosecution in Nigeria and defence in Nigeria and the United Kingdom are so keen on getting Okoronkwo to Nigeria and if Mr Awokulehin’s court was so hamstrung about the trial because of the lack of her presence, why didn’t the judge make the simple undertaking?

It is our belief that Honourable Justice Marcel Awokulehin couldn’t make the undertaking to secure Udoamaka Okoronkwo before his court because other forces were in charge in his court. He knew that Judge Geoffrey Rivlin QC was counting on his honour as a fellow judge to secure Okoronkwo and ensure no harm comes to her, but knowing clearly that he could not give this guarantee, he left it to the evidently compromised prosecution to make the curious case that it was unacceptable and to use this contrived stalemate as an excuse to drop the charges against her. It was no surprise to see Ibori lawyers jump up immediately after to declare that they were going to ask for the case against Ibori to be thrown out. There has been no worse case of the prosecution, defence and bench working in tandem to help accused persons avoid answering to criminal charges in an open court.

Since the 2 October 2009 adjournment of the London case, further developments in Asaba have confirmed our worst fears. On Monday, 12 October 2009, the court met to formally adopt the briefs filed by both parties and Justice Awokulehin fixed 6 November 2009 for ruling on whether or not to quash the charges against Ibori. Come 6 November, Justice Awokulehin was now telling the world that though the judgment was ready for two weeks before then, he was deferring the ruling to 23 November 2009 due to some issues that came up between the last adjournment date and November 6 which he said must be addressed. He did not say what these issues are, except that he would rather err on the side of caution than deliver the judgment on 6 November 2009.

The question is what happened between 12 October 2009 and 6 November 2009 that would stop a ruling already prepared two weeks before the last date being delivered as expected? The only thing Nigerians know that happened was that the judge was asked by the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Idris Kutigi and the National Judicial Council to respond to certain petitions against his handling of the Ibori case. He was not accused or charged with anything; he was not facing any disciplinary procedure; all that was asked of him by the appropriate authorities was to respond to these petitions, something that must be routine in his job as a judge in Nigeria. If as he said, the judgment has been ready for two weeks before 6 November, it means he must have written it after 21 October, which is the date on the letter sent to him by the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Idris Kutigi informing him of the petition from Debo Adeniran of Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (which is the first of these petitions) and asking for his comments “within two weeks” of receiving the letter. What this means is that neither the petition nor Justice Kutigi’s request affected the writing of the ruling two weeks before.

So, why couldn’t he deliver it when he came to court on 6 November? Why couldn’t he deliver it if he felt it was worth informing the public that it’s been ready for two weeks? Would the content of the judgment change now simply because he was asked to make his comments? Shouldn’t the opportunity to explain himself or comment on the petition allow him to confirm the basis of his decision, rather than hide the judgment, claiming he wants to err on the side of caution? What exactly wasn’t cautious in the already prepared judgment as it is? Indeed, why would the judgment of a Federal High Court depend on the mood of anyone, if indeed it is one written in furtherance of justice?

While we are not at this time exactly concerned with whatever is the content of Justice Awokulehin’s judgment or whenever he now chooses to deliver it, we are worried that his antics at the Asaba court are now affecting proceedings with regard to the case at Southwark Crown Court, London. Indeed, on Monday, 9 November 2009, we received the news of Judge Christopher Hardy’s adjournment of the London case to 24 November 2009 with mixed feelings because we had thought whatever happened at the Asaba court after 6 November 2009 was never going to affect what happens in London.

We hereby draw Judge Christopher Hardy’s attention to the fact that this is not the first time the authorities at the Asaba court have sought to use their proceedings to influence what happens in London. These contrived prevarications and vacillations over dates for the duration of the trial have been constant features of the trial even when Judge Geoffrey Rivlin QC was presiding over the London case. Judge Hardy’s doctrine of fairness should work both ways. If he thinks it is only being fair to the accused persons to adjourn the London case until the Asaba matter is concluded, he has to consider what is equally fair to the Nigerian and international publics interested in this matter. It is our strong view that he gets on with the trial once it is clear, as it is now, that the Asaba authorities are just a bunch of timewasters.

Finally, we would like to end this Statement by addressing an issue constantly being brought to our attention by Nigerians at home and abroad. A lot of people are telling us that they are not very clear about the relationship between the case at the Federal High Court, Asaba and the one at Southwark Crown Court, London. And, of course, things are not helped by the latest adjournment in London, because it helps perpetuate the myth that the outcome of Asaba will affect the trial in London, despite the fact that the judge has said there is no such relationship. Though we have tangentially addressed parts of the issue here already, we need to make more clarifications.

The defence in Nigeria is claiming that the case against Ibori in Nigeria is one for money laundering and therefore similar to the United Kingdom case with a view to using the outcome there as persuasive authority in London. They are claiming that the prosecution has established no case of a predicate crime which must be a condition precedent before a money laundering charge can stick. The defence in London is hoping this succeeds so that they can equally claim that since Mr Ibori has been found not guilty of corruption or being in possession of proceeds of crime in Nigeria, the ladies in London being accused of handling proceeds of crime from him would have no case to answer, since the prosecution in London will then have to prove that the money or property in question are proceeds of crime in a situation where no fact of crime has been established.

However, what the prosecution in the UK is saying is that there may not be direct evidence to show that there is corruption, but there is enough circumstantial evidence to show that the way in which the defendants handled funds and assets amounts to a crime. In other words, for the prosecution, it is not about proving corruption or that the proceeds come from some crime committed by Ibori or any other; it is about proving that the defendants are liable under the Proceeds of Crimes Act (POCA) 2002 by making inferences from the way the defendants handled funds and assets in question, because the UK law does not make distinction between direct and circumstantial evidence in terms of their weight and importance in these proceedings. What matters is that irrespective of the type of evidence, it is enough to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt. In POCA cases, the courts have accepted that there are two ways that the Crown can prove that the property or money in question is the proceeds of crime. One way is by showing that it derives from conduct of a specific kind or kinds and that such conduct is unlawful and the other is by evidence of the circumstances in which the property is handled which give rise to the invariable inference that it can only be derived from crime.

So, while the first is via direct evidence, e.g. from proof that it is the proceeds of corruption - which may or may not be established; the second, on the other hand, squarely puts the accused persons in the picture if there is genuine suspicion arising from how they handle money. In other words, the onus would be on the accused to prove that the money in question is not the proceeds of crime, rather than the prosecution proving that it is indeed the proceeds of crime.  What this means is that Ibori’s guilt or innocence in Nigeria has no bearing on the guilt or innocence of his sister and associates in the United Kingdom. The prosecution in the United Kingdom does not have to prove Ibori’s corruption. All it has to show is that there is enough circumstantial evidence to doubt the source of the money and property handled by the ladies.
 
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press, the above is our view on this issue for now. We commend you for your vigilance in these times. Indeed, we were pleased to know that you as journalists recently met with other civil society groups under the aegis of the Anyiam Osigwe Foundation to discuss corruption and proffer solutions to the menace. We at Respect Nigerians Coalition will also put programmes in place to engage you fully in that regard. What we need is a commitment to change. Once we get that commitment from a critical number amongst civil society groups and journalists, we will all work together to usher in the kind of fair and just society we crave. Please, keep up the good work and persevere.
 
We call on Nigerians at home and abroad to follow developments on the Asaba and London cases closely as their outcomes may very well define the next stage of the battle against corruption in our country. Genuine patriots and civil society groups must not go to sleep now. Whether in Asaba or in London, we need to make our presence felt. We need to speak up in defence of national decency.
 
Thank you.
 
 
Signed:
 
Michael Egbejumi-David
Tosin Awotesu
Emeka Enechi

(For and on behalf of Respect Nigerians Coalition)

http://www.saharareporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4255:-statement-on-developments-with-the-ibori-trial-at-asaba-nigeria-and-the-adjournment-of-the-case-against-his-associates-at-southwark-crown-court-london&catid=114:press-releases&Itemid=362

I tire. My younger bro left Naija in the mid 90s. He comes home for the first time last year and he is like whaooo! Mehn. What exactly was he expecting to see? I wonder.

Doesnt it tell a lot about the Nigerian media that it will take Sahara Reporters to make this revelation while the abundant mainstream 'objective' media that is on the ground simply ignores it?

The Nigerian media is part of the problem. Journalists have been victimized and pauperized to the extent that they have become willing tools in the hands of these corrupt men. In other countries the media lead the charge for change and their journalists cannot be bought. Here they have a price. They allow themselves to be used like pons and played against the people by these corrupt thieves.

I cant think of any where else but Nigeria where a common thieving shop attendant and his shoplifting wife (as recently as in 1993!!) will become multibillionaires, occupy the center stage of national discourse and manipulate the press so openly and so clearly.

Sad

olalekan1:
$10bn! I am very sure the one our politicians and banks cheif sent from Nigeria Abroad must be up to 20bn dollars annually. Let the world bank give account of that too.

Ibori PA alone will move half of that without blinking not to talk of the big man himself

[quote author=paddy_lo link=topic=349109.msg4916953#msg4916953 date=1258113068]Dont be a retard,this is actually less than it was like 2yrs ago before theglobal recession hit,come on how hard is it to tally all the funds going to nigeria from western union and moneygram,its just a click of the main computers at these firms and u get the answer,
actually more money than $10bln was sent to nigeria cause there are also informal ways of sending money back,
i am just one in a million,but if u know how much i have sent back since january u will not be so skeptical[/quote]Here is one brother making it big in philadephia. We are proud of you. Just stay out of jail while doing what u do.

Now seriously, What they send back home is merely chop-money. How many tangible investments or businesses can one attribute to US dollar or British pound coming from diasporans in the last 10mths? This is actually very easy to work out. You can start by discounting the whole north and most other parts of Nigeria. You will be left with Lagos and Enugu. If you push 7 billion dollars in these two places, believe me you will know.

$10b in 10 mths? That is wishful thinking. Where did they get that kind of money from? And by the way which Nigerians are we talkin about? Those in USA or UK that are still at the recieving end of 'their' global economic crunch. I see the hands of Nigerians at the world bank at work in these statistics. Well it makes for good lunch time conversation. Nothing more.

I cant say if I have been to Peckham or merely passed through it. But I did like what I saw certainly not the ghetto that has been the general impression for sometime now. I recall dropping off (in my hired taxi) a very comely young lady who sat close to me in a flight to London sometime in '07. Peckham is a name I like to 4get in a hurry considering the young lady gave me her husband's Nigeria tel no rather than hers. Will never know why women do that.

I was shocked to read in today's Vanguard-"Govs demand amnesty for kidnappers". Were these journalists at the same event? Why are they giving directly opposite reports?

The governor's forum that has become notorious lately for issuing absurd statements individual govs find diff to mouth should either affirm or repudiate this failing which they should all be arrested and tried as accessories to kidnapping.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2009/10/07/govs-demand-amnesty-for-kidnappers/

frankkky:
without intending to support the AG for any other actions he has been taking since he assumed office,on this particular faceoff with the met police,the AG is in order,for christ sakes nigeria is not anserwable to the british or to any other nation for that matter,i dont know why we always look down on ourselves andnation,do you know how many times the nigeria govt has asked this same british met police for asstance without any favorable response,when requests are made to them,it takes them sometimes as much as 2 years to even reply cos according to them such request must go through different process,now they ask us for assitance and we want our AG to run and do their biddings,abeg!!!!!

And so how does a deliberate act of the AG to muddle up a case of corruption help Nigerians? By the way he has not been found guilty yet. Ibori and accomplices have a chance to embarrass the met police and its witnesses by proving their innocence in court. No the AGF wont have that.

In any case it is not the British auth that has corruption problem or has a wordwide notoriety for corruption, it is Nigeria and the Nigerian govt and the evidence of it abounds and you see it each time the body of a nigerian is recovered in the mediterranean.This is not a tit for tat. It is a lame excuse to justify another criminal act by Aondoakaa

Utaroz:
What are the powers of the NBA in such a situation like this? Can they sanction the AGF?

Several. To start with they can officially condemn his actions and demand for his removal. Secondly lawyers should walk out of any court in which he is physically present.

But first-an official condemnation and demand for removal from office by the NBA. Otherwise Nigerians will begin to think he wields an unholy influence over the NBA- and that will be very sad indeed.

MrCrackles:
Aondoakaaa is a massive disgrace to Nigeria, Nigerians and the human race collectively. . . .
To allow a useless human being like Aondoakaa sit atop and preside over legal matters on behalf of the country is a big joke
And it just represents the big joke Nigeria as a country is in the first place!
Mscheww!

Nigerians have done everything short of walking to his office and dragging him out. No way this guy would have remained in that office under IBB even Abacha-the slowpoke. Yaradua has completely surpassed everybody's permutation of him as an anti people villain.

FBS:
What about those who appointed (selected) them? 

Ibori financed yaradua's campaign. While others were angling for the more lucrative ministries like works and Housing, he opted to have the AG slot because of his many legal problems bordering mostly on money lundering. Others chop clean mouth but Ibori no fit.

sunnela:
but why is the president not thinking at all? does he need a prophet to tell him that even he's no saint, AODONKA IS THE DEVIL AND THUS IS RUBBING MORE MORRE NEGATIVELY ON HIM

A lot of pple ascribe Yaradua's ineptitude to his illness which I think is more of an infirmity of the mind- hardly the kidney failure we are made to believe.

otokx:
Most professional organizations in Nigeria and in some other places operate like secret cults, not until their member is caught pants down in full view of the public do they stick out their neck to investigate and make public pronouncements. Just look at the case of ANAN and the customs boss.

A lot depends on who occupies that seat at that material time. Some people actually diminish an office by their ineffectiveness and ineptitude.

Nigerians have always looked up to civil liberty org and the NBA to speak for them. Now its a case of clapping with one hand. The NBA need to speak now more than ever b/c Aondoakaa is not just a rogue public official but he is a lawyer doing a lot of harm to the legal proffession.

A lot has been said about Nigeria's Attorney General Michael Aondoakaa since he assumed office and perhaps even more since his current face-off with the British legal system over James Ibori.

This man has caused Nigeria so much embarrassment and has effectively told the world by his actions that corruption in Nigeria is beyond remedy-any remedy. Nigerians at home and abroad have continued to fight that this corrupt AG should be kicked from office, arrested and docked for his many crimes.

Sadly, his primary constituency the (Nigerian) legal proffession rep on issues like this by the NBA has been outstanding in its deafening silence. It calls to question the caliber of people occupying positions at the Nigerian Bar Association.

[b]Justice for sale? Many scandals of Aondoakaa-[/b]National Life    PDF  Print  E-mail
Written by DARE ODUFOWOKAN and KUNLE OWOLABI, NATIONAL LIFE   
Wednesday, 30 September 2009 11:45


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Michael Aondokaa
Mr. Michael Aondoakaa, Nigeria’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, is definitely a troubled man. Like a man who had murdered sleep, his alleged past misdeeds seem bent on catching up with him, sooner than expected. For a man who is seen by many Nigerians as an overzealous aide of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the avalanche of allegations currently dogging the AGF’s every step, are no doubt damaging.


Since emerging as head of the justice ministry, the embattled AGF has not stopped surprising Nigerians with his approach to a number of issues of national importance. While some Nigerians were quick to accuse him of playing to the gallery, in his capacity as the chief law officer of the country, many more brazenly label him a pro-corruption crusader, after listening to him explain away some crucial impediments to the war against corruption.

Little wonder that, rather than pity the embattled minister, who sources say is on the verge of losing his juicy job, many Nigerians have been pouring invectives on the Benue-born lawyer for what they described as his hypocritical interpretation of President Yar’Adua’s much touted commitment to the rule of law. And to make matters worse for the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), damning facts continue to emerge on what is now known as the ‘many scandals of Aondoakaa’.

Sources within the presidency and the judiciary informed National LIFE that Nigeria’s legal sphere had never been as polluted as it currently is under Aondoakaa. “I am not surprised to hear that the President is considering dumping him. He was, and would remain a bad news to the judiciary,” a Lagos-based attorney said during the week.

Checks by National LIFE revealed that scores of damaging reports had littered the AGF’s dossier for too long, prompting the presidency to place him under surveillance. The outcome of this, according to a source, led to talks of his imminent sack. “The AGF has been under close watch following myriads of complaints to Mr. President, of his activities. But his current problem has to do with an alleged undisclosed trip to London recently. I think his cup is now filled up. He may be on his way out,” a well-placed source in told National LIFE.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be incorrect to say the foundation for the scandals currently threatening Aondoakaa’s job was laid even before he was appointed the AGF. According to a close ally of the troubled minister, before his appointment, Aondoakka and some other lawyers had gone to court to challenge the legality of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The case, according to the source, was instituted on behalf of the former governor of Benue State, George Akume, who was then being hounded by the commission over allegations of money laundering and financial impropriety.
The case was at the Supreme Court when Aondoakaa was appointed minister, thus making him both the plaintiff and defendant in the matter. The case was eventually thrown out by the apex court for lack of diligent prosecution.

On his appointment, according to insiders, the first thing Aondoakaa did was to hasten the President to issue a directive that made it compulsory for the EFCC, ICPC and other anti-corruption agencies to get clearance from  his office before instituting a case against any suspect.

Critics of the AGF say he got the directive in preparation for his plan to cage, if not totally extinguish the EFCC. “Aondoakaa saw his appointment as AGF as a God-sent or was it man-made opportunity to finish, once and for all, his long-drawn battle with the EFCC. The presidential directive was the tool he needed. So, he went for it on assuming office,” said a source who had worked closely with the AGF.

The directive, however, was not to be helpful for long as it was soon rescinded following court judgement in a case challenging it instituted by fiery Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana.

Falana had gone to court to challenge the directive as unlawful, citing a Supreme Court pronouncement in the case of Osahon vs Federal Republic of Nigeria. He averred that any law enforcement agency can institute criminal proceedings in a court of law on its own, provided the Attorney General can take over at any point. His permission, he argued, is not needed to commence prosecution. The Court agreed with him and the directive was quashed.
It was the loss of this precious cover that probably exposed the alleged pro-corruption antics of the AGF. From that point, controversy seemed to mark every step taken by the minister, as every of his actions - official and political - attracted stiff criticism.

Today, he is enmeshed in a myriad of condemnations following EFCCs’ denial of an earlier statement from the AGF’s office that the anti-corruption agency has cleared some former governors being investigated by the police in Britain.
The commission had, in a statement, said it did at no time say that the concerned former governors were no longer under its searchlight. It then described the AGF’s statement as inappropriate.

“It is therefore inappropriate to input or infer that the former governors have been exonerated in matters that are still pending or yet to be determined by the law court which is the only competent organ of government that can pronounce guilt or innocence in matters like the ones under reference.

“The Commission has to make this clarification in view of the volume of enquiries from concerned Nigerians so as to lay to rest all doubts and insinuations as to the position of the Commission and its leadership in all these,” the statement said.

And in a move that further underscores the minister’s scandalous interference in the said trial, the Metropolitan Police in London, also accused Aondoakaa of trying to stall the process by not co-operating with it in the investigation and prosecution of former Delta State governor, James Ibori, for alleged corruption and money laundering.

A senior Met Police officer, DC McDonald, who is working on the case against Ibori and his associates, had said it appears the AGF is unhappy about the case, adding that his attitude had stalled the investigation.
“The authorities in Nigeria promised there wouldn’t be a breakdown of communication, but now there is a recorded lapse on their part. Since Ribadu was removed in 2007, many people have been removed or redeployed,” MacDonald said.
Curiously, it is the same Aondoakaa who is the main culprit in the on-going crisis in the aviation sector. He is pointedly being accused of conspiring with Mr. Wale Babalakin of Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited, to illegally acquire the General Aviation Terminal (GAT), of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos.
Aviation experts have flayed the recent directive from the Attorney General to Aviation Minister, Mr. Babatunde Omotoba, that Bi-Courtney should take over the said terminal, describing it as fraudulent.
Describing Aondoakaa’s directive as a shocking volte-face by the Federal Government, which had earlier brushed aside pressure to concede the terminal to Bi-Courtney, the President of National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), Comrade William Ukah, said the action, if not checked, is capable of affecting the aviation industry adversely.

“The AGF’s directive is a shocking one. The federal government had all along refused to be cajoled or tricked into handing over the terminal to these people. We believe that something is wrong and the instruction is not official,” the union leader said in response to growing allegations that Aondoaka might have been gratified into giving the directive. As at the week end, no word had come from the AGF over the matter.

The controversy over President Yar’Adua revisiting the issue of Lagos State’s 37 additional councils also featured Aondoakaa as a star actor.

When the Federal Government reignited the controversy with a directive to the state to disband the Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) and revert to the constitutionally recognised 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs), Aondoakaa was the man who canvassed government’s position on the matter while fielding questions from State House correspondents at the end of a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja.
He had boasted that “Government would do everything within the law to avert the constitutional breach which the action of the Lagos State Government was out to achieve.”
Asked whether he had studied the response of the Lagos government on the matter as directed by the President, the minister betrayed his interest in the matter when he said: “I have nothing to study; the law is there; the President directed me and I have replied him. What do you mean by studying the matter? The judgment is there, the judgment of the Supreme Court is thorough. What do I have to study? There is no going back on the matter.”
Though Aondoakaa said he was out to protect the integrity of the Constitution and ensure that nobody violated it, it was not difficult for critical observers to see beyond the veil of his argument and behold a man acting out a script. So battered was the public rating of the AGF by this issue that he was forced to stop commenting on the matter.
Embattled Aondoakaa was also given a prominent mention when a scandal broke over alleged underhand dealings in the out-of-court settlement of a Federal Government case against American pharmaceutical giant – Pfizer - over the 1996 clinical trial of Trovan, a meningitis drug, in Kano State.
The AGF was accused of bringing on board the Federal Government’s legal team, Dr. Paul Botwev Orhii, the man who facilitated the out-of-court resolution of the 13-year old legal tussle. Orhii’s first known contact with the government reportedly occurred when he wrote a letter to Michael Aondoakaa, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, in December 2007, requesting to be engaged as an expert witness for Nigeria in the case.
The Federal Government had asked Pfizer to pay $700 billion as compensation to alleged victims of the drug trials. A number of US-based lawyers served as consultants to the Federal and Kano State governments, as the matter was heard in five courts across the country.
On 20 December, 2007, barely seven months after he was admitted into the Bar of the state of Texas, Orhii wrote President Umar Yar’Adua through the office of the AGF, asking to be engaged as an expert witness against the American drug manufacturers. The request was granted within a month, or as some observers put it, with an “alacrity not normally associated with government business in Nigeria”.
The speed with which Orhii was engaged has been described by a foreign news agency as “Nigeria’s quickest hiring in 48 years”. The fact that he had no record in the type of class action instituted against Pfizer also fuelled criticism by Nigerians in and outside the country.
Aondoakaa and Orhii are from Benue State and it was alleged that the AGF brought Orhii into the legal team prosecuting the case against Pfizer to enable him (AGF) corner a portion of the deal, which Pfizer might pay as settlement in the suit.
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) merely added to the growing opposition to Aondoakaa’s style of rule of law, when last Thursday, it took a critical review of the AGF’s role in the trial of former corrupt public officers, saying it was an embarrassment to the legal profession.
The NBA president, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) who spoke at a public function, said Aondoakaa’s gestures and pronouncements “stand at variance with the much vaunted campaign by the government for probity and the rule of law. The NBA views the current controversy and cycles of conflicting statements and denials between the office of AGF and EFCC as embarrassing.”
The NBA, which has Aondoakaa as a member, added that as a leader, the AGF should always be conscious of the effects of all he says or does.
“It is unfortunate that governance in Nigeria has been reduced to such a level that leaders who should know better do not seem to realise that conflicting statements between one department of government and the other do not present Nigeria in good image before the international community. They diminish the country and embarrass our friends. More specifically, the cycle of media reports and denials creates crisis of confidence not only in the justice delivery sector but in the often-stated commitment of government to fight corruption.
“Nothing has exemplified further the suspicion that government has lost the fight against corruption as the conflicting statements between the AGF and the EFCC,” the NBA said.
Short of calling for Aondoakaa’s sack, the NBA said the minister’s “activities and pronouncements can only serve the purpose of those through whose sordid deeds the country lies prostate. We cannot on one hand be seen to be protecting the kleptocratic elite for whom corruption is a way of life and on the other hand claim we are unequivocal in the fight against corruption. The NBA feels it is time to re-think the war against corruption and combat the scourge.
There is also an allegation of under-hand dealing, in which the office of the AGF was said to have collected over $2.5million from the Cross River State government to facilitate the gazetting of Tinapa Resort.

http://www.saharareporters.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3832:justice-for-sale-many-scandals-of-aondoakaa&catid=42:exclusive&Itemid=160