The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday said it was working with other security agencies such as Interpol and Met Police on the extradition of James Onanefe Ibori, former governor of Delta State, who was arrested in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday.
Farida Waziri, chairman, EFCC, who gave this hint in Abuja expressed delight that the long arm of the law has eventually caught up with Ibori in far away Dubai.
The EFCC had in April declared Ibori wanted after weeks of several efforts to get him to honour the commission’s invitation over fresh fraud allegations including a N44 billion scam case against him. The anti-graft agency had earlier secured a court warrant for his arrest and equally put him on a watch-list.
Waziri said: “Yes, we have been working on the former governor. It has been confirmed that Ibori was arrested by the Interpol. We have been exchanging information and interacting with the Interpol and the Met Police since we declared him wanted. International warrant of arrest was also issued. Yesterday (Wednesday), he was arrested and he is undergoing interrogation with them there. The man in charge of his case in the UK has dispatched detectives to Dubai and we are sending our own people to join them to start the process for his extradition. We also have our cases against him here pending. That is the good news.
“We have a case against him at the Appeal Court, Benin, the 170 count charges. We appealed, the case came up and he was not there. Two, we have fresh charges for which we want to arraign him totally different from the earlier charges. There are other charges against him which we don’t want to reveal for now. As I told you, we have been working very closely but quietly with the Met Police. We have been sharing information and we have issues which we don’t want to go into. We are talking with the Interpol, the Met Police and the Dubai police whose custody he is right now.”
Farida Waziri
“My initial reaction when I heard of Ibori’s arrest was that of excitement, and surprise too. Surprise because somebody said he had gone to Ghana. Some people also said he is still somewhere in Delta, some said he is in his Village in Warri. My mind never went to Dubai. But the Met Police have a relationship with Dubai police. They told me that if he is in Dubai they will get him, that it will be easier to track him down. If he had gone to places like China or Japan… it would have been difficult. I was very excited.
“EFCC is prepared to prosecute him without leaving any loose end. We declared him wanted, of course, to arraign him. We have some charges and we have witnesses and we are prepared on our side”, Waziri declared. If Ibori is successfully extradited to the UK, he will be the second person to be extradited under the Extradition Treaty and Mutual Legal Assistance signed between the UK and the government of the United Arab Emirates. The first person was Jeleel Ahmed, 28, who was extradited to the UK in August 2009 to face murder charges.
…former governor found hiding in hotel room
Meanwhile, Tony Eluemunor, spokesman of the former Delta State governor, while explaining how he was arrested said: “Ibori was in a hotel room by 9p.m Wednesday when some agents walked into his room, introduced themselves as acting on behalf of Interpol, saying he was wanted in London. When Ibori asked why he was wanted in London, they said over credit card fraud. When Ibori replied that he had not been to London since 2005, they modified the reason and said he was wanted for theft. So Ibori said that as they were not sure of the charge, he would not go with them to London. So they took him to a police station instead.”
He said “the following day, Thursday, May 13, he was taken to court where he was granted bail, and he was allowed to go free”.
Eluemunor said Ibori has asked his supporters, aides, friends and political associates not to be unduly bothered about the ordeal he is going through as the rule of law is always there to protect any victim of persecution – “as I am presently being persecuted owing to my political belief”. Tony Eluemunor said Ibori was arrested in the Gulf country at the instance of the British government which is prosecuting some of his associates - Udoamaka Okoronkwo (nee Onuigbo); his sister, Christie Ibie-Ibori, and a former aide, Adebimpe Pogoson - in London on money laundering charges.
It was not clear when Ibori got to Dubai. Apparently, he sneaked out of Nigeria in the face of manhunt for him by operatives of the EFCC and the police. He had failed to respond to EFCC summons for questioning over allegations of fraud and diversion of state funds to the tune of N44 billion during his time as governor of Delta State. Instead, hundred of thugs working for him had prevented the police and EFCC from arresting him.
From BusinessDay (by Pius Mordi & Isaac Aregbesola; Friday, 14 May 2010)
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| Fadiri Waziri |
The EFCC had in April declared Ibori wanted after weeks of several efforts to get him to honour the commission’s invitation over fresh fraud allegations including a N44 billion scam case against him. The anti-graft agency had earlier secured a court warrant for his arrest and equally put him on a watch-list.
Waziri said: “Yes, we have been working on the former governor. It has been confirmed that Ibori was arrested by the Interpol. We have been exchanging information and interacting with the Interpol and the Met Police since we declared him wanted. International warrant of arrest was also issued. Yesterday (Wednesday), he was arrested and he is undergoing interrogation with them there. The man in charge of his case in the UK has dispatched detectives to Dubai and we are sending our own people to join them to start the process for his extradition. We also have our cases against him here pending. That is the good news.
“We have a case against him at the Appeal Court, Benin, the 170 count charges. We appealed, the case came up and he was not there. Two, we have fresh charges for which we want to arraign him totally different from the earlier charges. There are other charges against him which we don’t want to reveal for now. As I told you, we have been working very closely but quietly with the Met Police. We have been sharing information and we have issues which we don’t want to go into. We are talking with the Interpol, the Met Police and the Dubai police whose custody he is right now.”
Farida Waziri
“My initial reaction when I heard of Ibori’s arrest was that of excitement, and surprise too. Surprise because somebody said he had gone to Ghana. Some people also said he is still somewhere in Delta, some said he is in his Village in Warri. My mind never went to Dubai. But the Met Police have a relationship with Dubai police. They told me that if he is in Dubai they will get him, that it will be easier to track him down. If he had gone to places like China or Japan… it would have been difficult. I was very excited.
“EFCC is prepared to prosecute him without leaving any loose end. We declared him wanted, of course, to arraign him. We have some charges and we have witnesses and we are prepared on our side”, Waziri declared. If Ibori is successfully extradited to the UK, he will be the second person to be extradited under the Extradition Treaty and Mutual Legal Assistance signed between the UK and the government of the United Arab Emirates. The first person was Jeleel Ahmed, 28, who was extradited to the UK in August 2009 to face murder charges.
…former governor found hiding in hotel room
Meanwhile, Tony Eluemunor, spokesman of the former Delta State governor, while explaining how he was arrested said: “Ibori was in a hotel room by 9p.m Wednesday when some agents walked into his room, introduced themselves as acting on behalf of Interpol, saying he was wanted in London. When Ibori asked why he was wanted in London, they said over credit card fraud. When Ibori replied that he had not been to London since 2005, they modified the reason and said he was wanted for theft. So Ibori said that as they were not sure of the charge, he would not go with them to London. So they took him to a police station instead.”
He said “the following day, Thursday, May 13, he was taken to court where he was granted bail, and he was allowed to go free”.
Eluemunor said Ibori has asked his supporters, aides, friends and political associates not to be unduly bothered about the ordeal he is going through as the rule of law is always there to protect any victim of persecution – “as I am presently being persecuted owing to my political belief”. Tony Eluemunor said Ibori was arrested in the Gulf country at the instance of the British government which is prosecuting some of his associates - Udoamaka Okoronkwo (nee Onuigbo); his sister, Christie Ibie-Ibori, and a former aide, Adebimpe Pogoson - in London on money laundering charges.
It was not clear when Ibori got to Dubai. Apparently, he sneaked out of Nigeria in the face of manhunt for him by operatives of the EFCC and the police. He had failed to respond to EFCC summons for questioning over allegations of fraud and diversion of state funds to the tune of N44 billion during his time as governor of Delta State. Instead, hundred of thugs working for him had prevented the police and EFCC from arresting him.
From BusinessDay (by Pius Mordi & Isaac Aregbesola; Friday, 14 May 2010)
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