Chief James Ibori thinking of how to escape from the Metropolitan Police and the EFCC.
Court Restrains EFCC From Arresting Ibori
Vanguard (Lagos)
NEWS
11 October 2007
Posted to the web 11 October 2007
By Emma Amaize
Warri
A FEDERAL High Court sitting in Benin has granted an injunction, restraining the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Executive Chairman of the Commission, Attorney-General of the Federation and their agents from arresting or detaining the immediate past governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori; his deputy, Chief Benjamin Elue; and other former and current political office holders in the state in respect of the EFFC's current investigations into the financial transactions and contracts in the state between 1999 and May 2007. The order is to subsist until the determination of the motion on notice brought against them before the court.
The Delta State Government had approached the court following receipt of a letter from the EFCC requesting it to turn in all documents on its (Delta government) financial transactions from 1999 to date.
A Government House, Asaba source said it (government) was alarmed by the letter since the commission lacks any such power.
Justice C.C. Okeke who gave the order, Tuesday, also restrained the EFCC and others from freezing the accounts of the Delta State Government consequent upon the said investigations until the motion on notice, adjourned to October 30 for hearing, is determined. Similarly, it ordered the defendants not to compel the plaintiffs to release documents/information to it in respect of its investigations into the accounts of the state.
Plaintiffs in the case are the Attorney-General of Delta State; the state Government; the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa; Auditor-General of the state while the defendants are the EFCC, its chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation.
Specifically, the plaintiffs sought an interim injunction to restrain the defendants, their agents, privies, servants or any person(s) acting for or through them from taking any step whatsoever to compel the plaintiffs/applicants, including current or erstwhile holders of offices in the Delta State Government to produce or submit the documents or information requested by the first defendant from the first plaintiff/applicant through its letter, 6/06/07 with reference number, CR: 3000/EFCC/ABJ/ASO/TM.3.VOL2/321, entitled: "Investigation Activities: Request for Information," pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
Plaintiffs also urged the court to restrain the defendants, their servants, agents or privies from arresting and detaining any current or erstwhile public or political office holder in the Delta State Government from May 1999 to June 2007, including but not limited to the following: Chief James Ibori, Chief Benjamin Elue, Mr. Ede Oghoro and Mr. Charles Israye in consequence of the alleged investigations touching on the accounts, contracts, etc of the second plaintiff following the issuance of the first defendant's letter referred to in paragraph one above, pending the determination of the motion on notice.
The third relief sought by the plaintiffs was for an order of interim injunction restraining the EFCC from taking any step to freeze any of the accounts of the state government or any of its offices, ministries or agencies maintained in any bank in Nigeria in consequence of the letter referred to in paragraph (a) above pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
After reading the affidavit in support of the affidavit of urgency sworn to by Emmanuel Okirhienyefa, Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Asaba and after hearing Dafe Akpedeye (SAN), Attorney-General of Delta State with Ken Mozia for the plaintiffs/applicants, the court granted the prayers but added that the plaintiffs should undertake to pay damages in case the order ought not to have been made at all.
Allafrica.comChief James "the thief" Ibori can run and hide, but he cannot escape from the long arms of the law and he cannot escape from the long claws of nemesis. Justice shall prevail in the end.
Chief James Ibori and His Gang.
As long as wanted criminals like Chief James "the thief" Ibori and Dr. Peter Odili are still bona fide members of the notorious ruling People's Democractic Party (PDP) of Nigeria, the PDP remains a notorious political party of gangsters. We are going to nail everyone of them, from the least to the greatest, from Chief James "the thief" Ibori to their Chieftain, ex-President Olusegun Obasanajo. The Jerry Rawlings of Nigeria is coming soon.
These unrepentant criminals have left the majority of Nigerians in the lurch as they looted the national treasury and misappropriated our oil revenues in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.
The ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) popularly called by the derogatory name of Papa Deceive Pikin, in Nigerian pidgin English, is a notorious and monstrous plutocracy of kleptomaniacs, from their local wards to the corridors of Aso Villa, the State House in Abuja. The President, Alhaji Umaru Yar’Adua is exactly what I call him, Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves.
As long as the notoriously corrupt ex-governors, Dr. Peter Odili and Chief “the thief’ James Ibori are still enjoying the protective custody and patronage of the PDP led government, I will never support President Umaru Yar’Adua, because anyone protecting criminals is equally a criminal. Therefore, Alhaji Umaru Yar’ Adua is as guilty as the criminal stalwarts of the PDP, because birds of the same feather flock together. And show me your friends and I will tell you who you are. As Jesus Christ said:
By their fruits, you shall know them.
If you are the chairperson at a conference of thieves, then you are the chairperson of the thieves.
Until we sack the PDP from government, Nigeria will never be freed from these criminals in power.
THE LAST WORD: Gen. Martin Luther Agwai, Commander of the United Nations- African Union. Last week Agwai's peacekeeping mission in Darfur suffered a serious setback when unidentified rebel forces overran an AU base. He spoke with Newsweek about the difficulties of his mission and how to be a peacekeeper where peace does not yet exist. "We are here as peacekeepers, and our job would be easier and smoother if there were a peace deal brokered for us. Unfortunately, right now, there is no peace to keep. So it has become another Herculean task to see that people are protected," he says.
Force Dejection
Newsweek International
Oct. 15, 2007 issue - Gen. Martin Luther Agwai might have the toughest job in Africa. As commander of the new joint United Nations-African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission in Darfur, the former head of Nigeria's armed forces will lead the 26,000-strong force that will be deployed to the region next year. His mission suffered a serious setback last Saturday when unidentified rebel forces overran an AU base at Haskanita, leaving 10 of his troops dead. NEWSWEEK's Silvia Spring spoke with Agwai by telephone from Khartoum, where he was attending a ceremony honoring the dead AU forces, about the raid, the difficulties of his mission and how to be a peacekeeper where peace does not yet exist. Excerpts:
SPRING: This week, 10 AU soldiers were killed. How did a small rebel group manage to ambush these soldiers so successfully?
AGWAI: Where did you get this idea that it was a small rebel group? And these troops were not ambushed. They were attacked. Twice. The second time a large number of rebels overwhelmed the camp. Who these rebels were, I don't know.
What are the implications for your UN-AU force?
There are no implications. Right now, I don't have control over the AU troops. When my [AU-UN] troops arrive, then we'll resolve most of these problems. We are committed to staying, and I hope other countries will still allow their troops to come.
What are you most worried about right now?
A lack of troops. We're supposed to have 20,000 troops and 6,000 policemen. As of now, we don't even know the troop contributors. To be able to perform the task that is expected of us, that is what is my biggest challenge now. The resolution itself stated that by the end of August we would know all the troop contributors, and now we are at almost the end of September, and we don't know. So you see the whole program is running behind schedule.
Whom do you blame for the delays?
It would very difficult for me to sit here and apportion blame because I don't know what is happening behind the scenes. I don't know what challenges other people are facing, and I'm only looking at this from my own perspective. I have a job to perform, and there are resources that have to be given to me. I know if the resources are available, they will be given to me. I believe there must be challenges that all the parties are facing. I just hope that we will be able to resolve and find an answer to those challenges and that the troops arrive so we can save lives and property in this part of the world.
You've warned the international community not to set its expectations too high. Why?
The resolution that created this hybrid [peacekeeping] operation is not a secret document, so many people have read that the force is to have 20,000 troops. I have had telephone calls from different organizations and individuals congratulating me that I now have 20,000 troops. Unfortunately, as you and I know now, we don't even know the troop contributors, so how can we talk about what those troops will do? Those people who are calling me will see nothing happening on the ground and feel disappointed. That is why I have already cautioned people not to expect too much because there is not much happening on the ground.
So you're saying things aren't changing fast enough?
Definitely. I am very concerned. I accepted the job because I wanted to give it my best, and I can only give it my best and be judged by the world depending on the resources available to me. And the resources are not forthcoming. They are not giving me 20,000 [troops], not to mention the equipment the troops will use, not to mention the other staff we will need in the mission. Nothing. So I am really, really concerned.
Plus, there's no peace deal yet. How can you be expected to provide security when there's no peace deal?
Lack of peace on the ground is definitely another big challenge because we are here as peacekeepers, and our job would be easier and smoother if there were a peace deal brokered for us. Unfortunately, right now, there is no peace to keep. So it has become another Herculean task to see that people are protected. We hope the talks in Libya [scheduled to start Oct. 27] result in an acceptable, comprehensive peace agreement for us and for every party involved.
So you must be feeling pretty stressed out these days.
If it were my younger days, maybe I would have been very stressed, but I have taken some courses in stress management and read a book called "Stop Stressing and Start Sleeping." Now, instead of crying over spilt milk, I look at tomorrow and what I can achieve.
© 2007 Newsweek, Inc
If what Gen. Martin Luther Agwai said is true, then I am disappointed that the UN/AU cannot prove to be capable of ending the civil war in Sudan and save the millions of refugees who are still suffering and dying daily in Darfur and the borders of Chad.
How can the UN/AU continue to blame the ruling government of Sudan for the Darfur crisis when the UN/AU cannot even provide the required troops, equipment and logistics for the joint United Nations-African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission?
I blame the UN/AU for the preventable death of the 10 AU peacekeepers that were killed by unidentified rebel forces in a surprise attack on the AU base at Haskanita on Sunday, September 30, 2007.
The fact that, Gen. Martin Luther Agwai admitted that they could not identify the rebel forces opposed to the peacekeeping mission shows that the previous AU Peacekeeping mission failed. The first assignment of any military operation in any hostile territory is reconnaissance. The intelligence observers would have gone ahead of the troops and identify the agents of the conflict, their locations, positions, conditions, supplies and their weaknesses. Then, the intelligence report will be used for the blue prints of the main operations of the peacekeeping mission.
You do not send troops to the hostile territory without knowing your enemies and allies. Gen. Martin Luther Agwai would be more informed if he contacted Mr. Jan Pronk, the former UN Envoy to Sudan, who knew all the warring antagonists in the conflicts in Sudan. Jan Pronk’s intelligence report would be very useful to the commander of the peacekeeping mission.
It is unfortunate that strategic priorities are being misplaced in the joint United Nations-African Union Hybrid Peacekeeping Mission in Sudan.
NEWSWEEK International Editions: Highlights and Exclusives, OCT. 15, 2007 Issue
COVER: Biology Reborn. (All overseas editions). In recent months, a perfect storm of new technology and research has blown apart 20th-century dogma in the fields of biology and genetics, writes Lee Silver, a professor of molecular biology at Princeton. He writes that many scientists now believe that heredity is the result of an incredibly complex interplay among the basic components of the genome, scattered among many different genes and even the vast stretches of "junk DNA" once thought to serve no purpose. The result of this seemingly modest conceptual breakthrough has been a torrent of new discoveries. Scientists around the world have identified alterations in the sequence of DNA that play causative roles in a range of common diseases, including types 1 and 2 diabetes; schizophrenia; bipolar disorder; glaucoma; inflammatory bowel disease; rheumatoid arthritis; hypertension; restless legs syndrome; susceptibility to gallstone formation; lupus; multiple sclerosis; coronary heart disease; colorectal, prostate and breast cancer, and the pace at which HIV infection causes full-blown AIDS. While still far from cures, researchers hope these discoveries will eventually enable physicians to prescribe genome-specific preventions and treatments for diseases.
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China's New Guard. Beijing Bureau Chief Melinda Liu and Special Correspondent Jonathan Ansfield report on a young new generation of Chinese leaders who could transform China's Communist Party. Next week, more than 2,000 select Chinese Communist Party cadres will gather for a pivotal meeting at Beijing's Great Hall of the People. The No. 1 item on this party congress's agenda is the advancement of China's future leaders, the people that could be China's best hope for political change. Chinese have begun calling them the Sixth Generation. They are also known as the '60s Generation and are seen as worldlier, more traveled and less doctrinaire than any previous Chinese generation. And-though China's state-run media would never admit it-some Gen-Sixers were probably among the students who rallied at Tiananmen Square in 1989.
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'Strong Like Saddam.' Jerusalem Bureau Chief Kevin Peraino, on assignment in Iraq, reports on Iraq's tangled network of tribal leaders and their roles in keeping the peace. Last summer American military commanders spent millions of dollars on "concerned local citizens" programs-essentially paying off tribal sheiks to keep their followers from planting roadside bombs. Critics, however, say that empowering regional strongmen is creating a warlord state in Iraq. At best, the breakdown of Iraq into local fiefdoms is not necessarily consistent with political reconciliation at the center. At worst, power struggles among local leaders could erupt into an all-out civil war.
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Seeking Center Ground. London Bureau Chief Stryker McGuire writes that just because former British prime minister Tony Blair is out of the spotlight does not mean his brand of politics has disappeared. McGuire writes that current Prime Minister Gordon Brown's leadership style is beginning to look very familiar. "He's [Gordon] amassed impressive popular support as the anti-Blair with a serious, nonflashy style that sets him apart from Blair, whose presentational pizzazz came to be deplored as spin by an electorate that turned angry after the invasion of Iraq. And yet, like Blair before him, he's continued to develop hardline policies on such issues as immigration and crime."
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The Longest Shadow. Special Correspondent Sarah Wildman reports that a proposed law in Spain that would officially, morally and financially acknowledge those who died in the Civil War and were persecuted during Francisco Franco's dictatorship has stalled in debate over the benefits of exhuming the past. The political left says the law doesn't go far enough. The political right argues the law is unnecessary and divisive. If the law fails, Spain will remain one of the few democratic nations that have yet to have a reckoning with their past.
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A Stressful Situation. Special Correspondent Karin Rives reports that Sweden's latest plans to limit paid sick leave for people suffering from mental burnout angered many of its citizens who accused the government of trying to kill off its weakest citizens. The conflict mirrors similar debates throughout Europe, where politicians and constituents are gradually realizing that competing against other Western nations, and emerging powerhouses like India and China, will be impossible without more- flexible labor laws and fewer expensive entitlements.
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Rwanda Turns Off. Special Correspondent Silvia Spring reports that President Paul Kagame's increasingly strong-armed policies and extreme restrictions on the media may be threatening Rwanda's economic future. Rwanda is in the midst of a major campaign to develop a high-tech sector to make the country an IT services hub. Although outside donors are helping to achieve this goal, many analysts say that trying to build an information economy while tightening government control over the flow of that information may not be possible.
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WORLD VIEW: Sleepwalking to Sanctions, Again. Newsweek International Editor Fareed Zakaria writes that diplomacy, not sanctions, should be used in resolving conflicts with countries like Burma. The problem with sanctions is, while they do impact a country's economy by shrinking it, the parts of the economy they shrink most are those that aren't under total state control. "If the purpose of sanctions is to bring about a better system for that country, devastating its society is a strange path to the new order," he writes.
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THE LAST WORD: Gen. Martin Luther Agwai, Commander of the United Nations- African Union. Last week Agwai's peacekeeping mission in Darfur suffered a serious setback when unidentified rebel forces overran an AU base. He spoke with Newsweek about the difficulties of his mission and how to be a peacekeeper where peace does not yet exist. "We are here as peacekeepers, and our job would be easier and smoother if there were a peace deal brokered for us. Unfortunately, right now, there is no peace to keep. So it has become another Herculean task to see that people are protected," he says.
More details
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Mexican President Vicente Fox to Sign "Revolution of Hope" at Borders(R) 18th and L Streets Store
Revolution of Hope: The Life, Faith, and Dreams of a Mexican President (Hardcover)
by Vicente Fox (Author), Rob Allyn (Author)
ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ --
Who: When Vicente Fox swept into office in 2000, he broke the dictatorial one-party rule that had strangled Mexico for over seventy years. A native son of Mexico, grandson of immigrants from the United States and Spain, Fox worked his way from ranch hand and truck driver to the youngest CEO in the history of Coca-Cola. His political rise from precinct worker to world leader was equally swift. As President, Vicente Fox steered Mexico's fragile young democracy through turbulent times, ushering in six years of economic stability and reform in health care, education and housing, with increased freedom of the press. His presidency also reduced poverty and tackled corruption. In his book, "Revolution of Hope," Fox outlines a new vision of hope for the future of the Americas.
What: Fox signs copies of "Revolution of Hope."
When: Thursday, Oct. 11 at 12:30 p.m.
Where: Borders
1801 K Street NW
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 466-4999
Why: Customers have the unique opportunity to personally meet Fox and
purchase copies of his book, "Revolution of Hope," at Borders
18th and L Streets store.
Media
Contact: Media interested in attending this event should contact Dalia
Goldgor at (202) 466-2152 or at dgoldgor@bordersgroupinc.com.
Media interested in learning more about Borders should contact
Kolleen O'Meara at (734) 477-1224 or at
komeara@bordersgroupinc.com.
Additional Information:
To ensure he is able to meet as many customers as possible, Fox will be unable to personalize his signature. No posed photographs may be taken during the book signing, however, photos from the signing line are permitted. No memorabilia, videos or DVDs will be signed. Cameras and cell phones must be turned off and put away as customers approach the signing table. All copies of "Revolution of Hope" must be purchased before they are signed.
Beginning Oct. 11 at 8 a.m. wristbands will be given out to customers who purchase copies of "Revolution of Hope" to be signed. These wristbands will be given out on a first come, first serve basis and will hold each person's place in line. Line wristbands will be color coded and the line will be organized by colors. Announcements will be made when we begin to line up each group. Borders cannot guarantee that all customers with line wristbands will have the opportunity to meet Fox and obtain an autograph.
About Borders Group, Inc.
Borders, Inc. is a subsidiary of Borders Group. Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Borders Group is a $4.1 billion global retailer of books, music and movies with more than 1,100 stores worldwide. More information on the company is available at www.bordersgroupinc.com.
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CONTACT: Dalia Goldgor, +1-202-466-2152, dgoldgor@bordersgroupinc.com,
or Kolleen O'Meara, +1-734-477-1224, komeara@bordersgroupinc.com, both of
Borders, Inc.
Web site: http://www.bordersgroupinc.com/
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Book DescriptionThe charismatic former President of Mexico offers a clear and candid perspective on the state of world affairs
When Vicente Fox swept into office in 2000, he broke the dictatorial one-party rule that had strangled Mexico for over seventy years. A native son of Mexico, grandson of immigrants from the United States and Spain, Fox worked his way from ranch hand and truck driver to the youngest CEO in the history of Coca-Cola. His political rise from precinct worker to world leader was equally swift. As president, Vicente Fox steered Mexico’s fragile young democracy through turbulent times, ushering in six years of economic stability and reform in health care, education, and housing, with increased freedom of the press. His presidency also reduced poverty and tackled corruption.
Vicente Fox embodies the American Dream in its broadest sense as a vision of the New World, as well as the story of Mexico. Elected as a political outsider with a message of honesty, change, and hope, he is truly a world hero of democracy. This vivid book interweaves his inspiring personal story with his bold ideas for the future of the planet.
For the first time, President Fox reveals the ups and downs of his close but rocky relationships with world leaders from President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair to Fidel Castro, Vladimir Putin and Hugo Chávez.
In Revolution of Hope, President Fox outlines a new vision of hope for the future of the Americas. He speaks out forcefully on hot global topics like immigration, the war in Iraq, racism, globalization, the role of the United Nations, free trade, religion, gender equity, indigenous rights and the moral imperative to heal the global divide between rich and poor nations.
From the man who brought true democracy to Mexico, Revolution of Hope is a personal story of triumph and a political vision for the future.
