As James Onanafe Ibori’s second and final term as the Executive Governor of Delta State, one of Nigeria’s richest, drew to an end – and with it the automatic immunity he had from criminal prosecution of any kind – he knew instinctively that he had to make a move. This was self-preservation at its best, honed by desperation.
And so on April 25, 2007, a month to the end of his tenure, he made an offer to Nuhu Ribadu, then Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
In a witness statement deposed to in August in London, as part of the ongoing investigations into Mr. Ibori’s alleged criminal activities (by the London Metropolitan Police), Ribadu narrates the events of that day.
“On the day that James said that he was going to give me money, I told my colleagues and we went to Andy Uba’s house... James (Ibori)was there and his servant or driver brought out the money from the house, in two (2) massive sacks containing US$100 dollar bills. My staff took possession of the money... I told my staff to take the money to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) where it was counted and lodged as an exhibit.”
“The money” in question added up to “exactly US$15 million” [N2.25 billion]. Andy Uba, at whose house this exchange took place, was then a special assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo. At the time the offer was made, Mr. Ribadu’s annual official salary was about US$50,000.
It was not the first meeting between Mr. Ribadu and Mr. Ibori. Indeed Mr. Ibori was no stranger to criminal investigations and law courts. His first four years as Governor were spent largely fighting allegations that he was an ex-convict and therefore ineligible to have contested for Governorship in the first place.
“I have met with James Onanafe Ibori (James) on numerous occasions prior to and during the period that he was under investigation. When I began investigating him he asked me what could be done to stop the investigation (into him). He told me that everybody was corrupt and that he was doing it because everybody else was doing it,” Mr. Ribadu’s deposition states.
Mr. Ribadu says he knew Mr. Ibori to be a “very powerful and influential figure in Nigeria,” and cites instances in the deposition. “James was very aware of how our investigation was progressing. For instance the moment that we went into a bank to obtain financial evidence, somebody would tell James about it.”
While Mr. Ibori may have lost his constitutional immunity from prosecution on May 29, 2007, the day he ceased to be Governor, he had certainly not lost any of the clout or power that his years as one of Nigeria’s most powerful men had brought him. This was soon to become clear.
In December 2007, Mr. Ribadu was asked to proceed on a 12-month course, five days after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission charged Mr. Ibori to court. This course meant Mr. Ribadu had to relinquish – temporarily it seemed at that time – his position at the Commission. “The Inspector General of Police, Mike Okiro made a public announcement through a national newspaper that I was going on a course at the Nigeria Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies in the city of Jos, Plateau State. I was not informed in advance of the fact that I was going on this course, which was for one (1) year. In fact the course was of no benefit to me, because I had taught at the Institute for three (3) years previously and I was already over-qualified for it (the course). The course was actually aimed at middle-career public officers aspiring to higher office. At that time I was still a serving police officer.”
Reader Comments (76)
post a comment
* = Required information