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The Nuhu
Ribadu saga continues unabated as the Code of Conduct
Tribunal threatened today to issue a warrant
of arrest for him if he fails to appear
before the court by the next adjourned date,
9th March 2009.Though the Tribunal Justice
Constance Momoh acknowledged that the former EFCC boss
could be said to have been legally present in court
since he was represented by a lawyer on wednesday, she
insisted he should appear next time in person otherwise,
a warrant of his arrest would be issued against him.
Femi
Falana who is Ribadu`s counsel explained that he was
unavailable because the ex EFCC boss was being harassed
and his life being threatened.All that did not however
dissuade the Justice from issuing the threat of
arrest.Ribadu has been dragged before the Bureau for
allegedly failing to declare his asset while in office
as Chairman of the EFCC.
Recent
reports however indicated that the former EFCC boss may
have sneaked out of the country.His hideout is yet to be
disclosed.
The
threat arrest by the Code of Conduct Bureau is the
latest twist in the Ribadu saga.Having fought the anti
corruption war to a controversial acclaim, he made
enemies who seem to be fighting back now.The ex
governors whom he battled against are now more
influential.And it is believed these men are behind the
scenes pulling the strings to mess up Ribadu.First ,he
was transfered from his EFCC job and sent to
attend a course;later he was demoted.Much
later, he was dramatically bundled out of graduation
hall after completing his course at NIPSS,Kuru.He
was later offered his certificate though.
But that
was not the end of his travails.In fact, he received
several queries and was expected to appear before a
disciplinary panel set up by the Police.Ribadu`s failure
to appear before the panel among other alleged
offences was followed by his dismissal from the Nigeria
Police Force.Now, the threat of arrest means that
Ribadu`s woes may not end soon.
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Ribadu Sneaks Out of Nigeria
Written by Musa Simon Reef & Suleiman M.
Bisalla
Sunday, 18 January 2009 Sunday
Trust
Malam Nuhu Ribadu, As the former
chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, returned to the courts to
challenge his dismissal, indications are that he may not
be within the shores of Nigeria.
Checks by
Sunday Trust revealed that the whereabouts of the former
anti-graft's helmsman is unknown.
Ribadu, who is
battling the Nigeria Police and other authorities in the
courts over his dismissal from the force, is believed to
have disappeared, apparently for fear of being arrested.
Sunday Trust gathered that Ribadu sneaked out of
the country through the Niger Republic border about a
fortnight ago to a yet to be ascertained country. The
border is known to have been very porous over the
years.When our reporter inquired from the spokesperson
of the British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Louis Cox,
whether Ribadu had been given political asylum in the
United Kingdom, she said that the commission did not
speak on personal issues.
Furthermore, Ribadu’s
former aides contacted by our reporter played a
hide-and-seek game, when asked to reveal if the former
EFCC boss was in or outside Nigeria.
One of them
explained away the speculation by saying, “Why should
Ribadu run away from Nigeria? He has not committed any
crime. Let no one deceive you. Ribadu is not the kind of
person who would escape from this country for any
reason. He has nothing to fear.” But he would not
disclose where Ribadu was.
When Sunday Trust
contacted another of Ribadu’s aide, the man claimed that
he had not spoken with his former boss in the last three
weeks, and when he visited Ribadu’s residence in Abuja
last week, the place was deserted.
“I have been
calling his numbers in the last few weeks but none of
them went through,” the former aide said.
When
our correspondent contacted some of Ribadu’s relations
in Yola, one Alhaji Samaila Ribadu said, “I cannot tell
where Ribadu is. I last saw him two weeks ago.
Therefore, I cannot comment on his
whereabouts.”
While his whereabouts remain a
subject of rumour, Ribadu’s lawyer, Mr. Charles Musa,
declined comment on the matter, saying that he could
only answer questions concerning the cases currently
before the courts.
“It is not for me to comment
on the whereabouts of my client. If you have any
question regarding the case I am handling on behalf of
my client, I will answer you, but anything short of this
is beyond my jurisdiction,” the lawyer said.
When
asked if he had met Ribadu in recently, Musa insisted
that he would only answer questions about legal matters
as they affect his clients.
Spokesman of the
Nigeria Police Force, Assistant Commissioner of Police
(ACP) Emmanuel Ojukwu told our reporter that the force
was also not aware of Ribadu’s whereabouts at the
moment.
“I can tell you that the force is not
aware of the whereabouts of Ribadu. We don’t know, and
that is the truth,” Ojukwu said.
Asked why the
force would not know the whereabouts of former EFCC
boss, the police spokesman replied, “We have over 140
million Nigerians and you don’t expect the police to
know the whereabouts of everyone of them. He is not in
our custody. We do not know where he is staying at
present,” Ojukwu explained.
Meanwhile, as Ribadu
returned to court challenge his dismissal, the police
have raised 30 lawyers to defend them in the suit.
Speaking to our reporter, spokesman of the force, ACP
Ojukwu, said the force was fully prepared to meet Ribadu
in court.
“As you are aware, in such a case, the
police would get lawyers that will defend the force. We
have, at present, about 30 lawyers that would be in
court to defend the police.
“There is nothing to
be afraid of, and the force, I can inform you, is fully
ready to meet Ribadu in court,” said the
PPRO.
Last week, the former EFCC helmsman made
true his threat when he headed to the courts to
challenge his dismissal from the force.
In an
originating summons wherein the former EFCC boss
challenged his dismissal, Ribadu is appealing to the
court to set aside and declare as unconstitutional his
dismissal from the Nigeria Police Force by the Police
Service Commission (PSC).
Ribadu also wants the
court to determine whether he, as a Nigerian citizen,
was not entitled to fair hearing from the PSC before it
took its decision of dismissing him from the force. PSC
dismissed Ribadu based on allegations contained in its
letter dated December 22, 2008.
Basing his
argument on the provisions of sections 36(1) and
153(1)(m), paragraph 30 (b) of the 3rd schedule of the
constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999,
Article 7 of the African Charter on Human and People’s
Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, Cap. A9 Laws
of the Federation, 2004, the former EFCC boss sought the
court to declare his dismissal from the police null and
void.
Praying the court to grant a perpetual
injunction restraining the defendants and their agents
from threatening his service in the Nigeria Police
Force, Ribadu asked the court to set aside his dismissal
from the Nigeria Police Force by the 1st defendant as
contained in the 1st defendant’s letter dated December
22, 2008.
In a swift reaction to the reliefs
sought by Ribadu, the police have raised an objection to
the reliefs sought by Ribadu, saying that Ribadu did not
comply with the directives of the police as required by
the force.
Ribadu, in an affidavit to support
his case disagreed with the police and declared that he
complied with the IG’s order to proceed on course to the
National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies
(NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, which he completed on November 22,
2008.
“On December 18, 2006, I was promoted from
the rank of Deputy Commissioner of Police to the rank of
Commissioner of Police and on 9th April, 2007, I was
promoted to the rank of Assistant Inspector General of
Police. On 9th September, 2008 the IGP, in a letter
dated September 3, 2008, said that the Police Service
Commission demoted me from the rank of Assistant
Inspector-General of Police to the rank of Deputy
Commissioner of Police via a letter dated 5th August,
2008 from the commission to the IGP,” Ribadu
stated.
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Why
we must speak out loudly against harassment of Nuhu
Ribadu
By
Adetokunbo Mumuni
“Injustice
for one man, is injustice for all men”---MLK
Jr
Posted Monday
Jan.5, 2009
This
is not the best of time for Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, former
Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC). Since he was sent early this year to the
National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies on a
mandatory course without due process and in a move to
force him out of the EFCC apparently because of his
prosecution of official corruption at the highest level
of government, Mr. Ribadu has, literally, known no
peace---removed from office in questionable
circumstances; unlawfully demoted, reportedly shot at by
unknown gunmen; dismissed from the police force, and
likely to be jailed soon!
His
‘offence’? He did the unusual by daring to fight high
level official corruption, and those very close to the
power base in Abuja.
Those
that he fought so diligently for the sake of our beloved
country are now firmly in power and fighting back
brutally.
Shortly
after his forced departure from the EFCC, exactly on Tuesday
5 August 2008,
the Nigerian Police Service Commission announced the
demotion of Mr. Ribadu, from the rank of an Assistant
Inspector-General of Police to Deputy Commissioner of
Police. The police claimed that there were
‘irregularities’ in his appointment but it is now clear
that his demotion is the second of four things the
power-that-be have in stock for Mr. Ribadu. The first,
to remove him from the EFCC, the second, to demote him,
the third to dismiss him, and the fourth will be to jail
him for politically motivated offences.
Appointed
in 2003, Mr. Ribadu made the EFCC a credible
anti-corruption institution widely respected both
nationally and internationally. Whatever may have been
the shortcomings of EFCC while he was Chairman, few
would disagree that Mr. Ribadu made an important
contribution to the fight against corruption in
Nigeria—he did the unusual by pursuing and bringing to
justice the hitherto untouchable and powerful
politicians and ‘leaders’.
The
retaliatory measures taken by the Yar’Adua government
against Ribadu have been condemned by many
prominent human rights activists and lawyers, including
Mr Femi Falana, President West African Bar Association
(WABA), and Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN.
But
the government of President Umaru Yar’Adua is not
yielding. The police authorities have now dismissed Mr.
Ribadu, despite the fact that his case against them is
still pending before the court.
This
can’t go on. And we cannot be indifferent to the
treatment of Mr. Ribadu by the Nigerian authorities
simply because it is not happening to us or someone
close to us.
It
should not be that way because an injustice to one man
dishonors all people.
We
have to speak out loudly in a chorus of protest against
the unlawful and unjustified attacks and harassment of
Mr. Ribadu if impunity of the country’s leaders is to be
tackled. Unless more
Nigerians speak out loudly against harassment of Mr.
Ribadu there is little chance of it ending.
The greatest
challenge in our pursuit of justice is to stand up and
speak to power. Injustices and double standards
are a brazen abomination that cannot be defended.
We
must speak up and not shut up until we know the tide is
turning towards justice and safety for Mr. Ribadu.
Today
it is Mr. Ribadu; no one knows who is next
tomorrow.
That
is why our organization, the Socio-Economic Rights and
Accountability Project (SERAP) has launched an online
public petition to encourage members of the public to
express concerns about the continuing harassment,
intimidation and attacks against Mr. Ribadu, and to call
on President Umaru Yar’Adua to exercise his authority to
stop further harassment, intimidation and attacks
against Mr Ribadu. The petition would also be sent to
the UN, the African Union and the European Union for
actions.
President
Yar’Adua must
demonstrate his professed rule of law policy by
instructing the security agents and other agencies of
government, including the police to stop further
harassment, intimidation and attacks against Mr Ribadu.
His purported dismissal must be reversed immediately.
All allegations of threats to Mr. Ribadu’s life must be
fully investigated and suspected perpetrators brought to
justice
I
encourage all well meaning Nigerians to support the
“SAVE RIBADU CAMPAIGN”, and to tell the Yar’Adua
government loudly that enough is enough. The online
petition is at http://www.PetitionOnline.com/he4e6789/petition.html
Adetokunbo
Mumuni
Executive
Director
1/1/09
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No plans to arrest Ribadu –
Okiro
posted Monday Dec.29,2008 newsdiaryonline.com
The Inspector General of
Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, has said the police had no plans
to arrest former Chairman of Economic and Financial
Crime Commission, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu. Okiro spoke through
Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Emmanuel Ojukwu at a
news briefing in Abuja, on Monday.
He said while
it was true that the police first declared him a
deserter before he was given the sack from the force by
the Police Service Commission, the police had no plans
to arrest him.
Okiro however proceeded to
defend the sack of the former EFCC boss.The IG`s
representative said “Disobedience to lawful orders
of a superior is inexcusable in the Nigeria Police
.“Officers are entitled to civil liberties, but are not
free to refuse postings to any part of the country, or
choose which orders to obey and which to arrogantly
ignore.
“To allow disobedience to lawful orders
is an open invitation to anarchy, break down
of law
and order, which may ultimately make Nigeria
ungovernable. We should not allow this to happen to our
dear country.
“To promote or rationalize the
indiscipline of one man is capable or traumatizing and
victimizing the entire police establishment, to
orchestrate and parry the insubordination of one man
against constituted authority is capable of destroying
the unity of the officers of the Nigeria police; to
trivialize one man’s absence
from duty is like
hauling insults on those who attend their
duties.
“For one man to claim salaries for work
not done may amount to stealing. The combined effect of
these maladies is a potential threat to the ideals of
rule of law and nation building.”
Okiro said to
have allowed Ribadu to remain in service after all said
and done would amount to promoting acts capable of
destroying all the service stood for He described as
unfortunate that several commentators some oblivious of
service rules have made several damaging statements
since Ribadu was dismissed. This, he
said gives an
impression that “Nigeria is a nation that tolerates and
adores indiscipline, truancy and malfeasance by its
employees.”
He said Nigeria remained a country
that cherished hard work, diligence and dedication to
duty.
The police boss said that while officers
were entitled to civil liberties, they were not free to
refuse postings to any part of the country, or choose
which orders to obey and which to ignore.
He
admonished Nigerians not be associated with this
(Ribadu) “virus.” Okiro said Ribadu was not the first
officer to be dismissed from the force. Shedding more
light on this, he said 783 police officers were
dismissed in 2007 alone for various acts of indiscipline
adding that two senior police officers and 32 inspectors
and rank and file have also been booted out this year
for various acts of indiscipline and
misconduct.
He denied allegations that Ribadu was
sacked because of the case he instituted against the
Police Service Commission and the IGP, in which he
(Ribadu) is challenging his demotion from the rank of
Assistant Inspector General of Police to Deputy
Commissioner of Police, he said that he was dismissed
because of his refusal to obey lawful orders of the
IGP.
The police chief also revealed that while
189 police officers lost their lives in active service
this year, 102 other officers sustained various degrees
of work-related injuries, with some of them suffering
permanent disabilities.
He also denied claims by
Ribadu’s counsel, Mr. Charles Mussa that his client had
stopped drawing salary from the policed since July.
Okiro said the allegations could not be true, “because
he was still a police officer as at then and until he
was dismissed few days ago.”
It will be recalled
that Ribadu was sacked on Tuesday by the PSC for series
of alleged
misconducts which included improper
dressing by appearing in plain clothes, while
on
official courtesy visit to Mr. President on
November 13, 2008,which the Police says is a breach of
rule
030301(k) of the Public Service Rules 2006,
institution of legal proceedings against
the IGP, the
AGF, and the PSC on October 2,2008, also said to be a
violation of sections 352
and 367 of the Police Act
and rules 030402 and 030301 of Public Service Rules
2006.
But from the utterances of the police spokesman
who spoke on behalf of the IG,it appears the authorities
are still angry with Ribadu even after dismissing him.So
no one can truly predict the next line of action.Though
the denial of any plans to arrest him may be
welcome,eternal vigilance need be the watchword.
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THE
POLITICS OF RIBADU`S DISMISSAL AND NASIR EL RUFAI`S
ENDLESS TROUBLES: PRESIDENT YAR`ADUA IS BEHIND IT
ALL
-NEWSDIARYONLINE SPECIAL REPORT
BY
DANLAMI
NMODU
POSTED 1:00 PM
wed Dec.24, 2008
It is well
known now that the Police Service Commission met and
resolved to accept the recommendation of a Police
disciplinary committee ,sacking former EFCC
Chairman Nuhu Ribadu.But sources said that
is just a part of the story as there are other more
powerful but unseen hands at work:``Right from the
beginning President Umaru Musa Yar`Adua is behind every
action.It`s order from above.But I don`t know why the
president is doing this``.the source said
Not
everyone is at a loss .A source told newsdiaryonline two
months ago about Yar`Adua and his allies` resolve
to selectively weed out every prominent name and
possible challenger to the president from the
political space.Although 2011 is till far
away,Yar`Adua`s strategists are looking beyond now.His
initial obstacle was the legal challenge to his
election.Curiously such strategists are going ahead to
plan for 2011 despite the president`s well known
illness.
Among the
names to be rubbished or removed from the political
pace are Nuhu Ribadu, Nasir el Rufai,Babagana
Kingibe and Buba Marwa.These are among the
personalities Yar`Adua and his men are uncomfortable
with.And it is much worse for them given hints in
some circles that these men may be materials for
political realignment.Far fetched as these speculation
in Abuja may seem, the YarAdua machine had penciled them
for decimation.Marwa was lucky as it was resolved as
newsdiaryonline reported earlier that he be sent
on exile with an ambassadorial appointment.He is now
Nigeria`s High Commisioner to south Africa.
Also, the
senate probe of el rufai had the imprimatur of the
president who insisted according to sources that , the
ex minister must be probed , indicted and banned from
holding political office.Elrufai`s statement that he
does not look forward to holding public office again
does not appear convincing to make the YarAdua hawks
relax at all
A
source claimed that YarAdua may have not forgiven Ribadu
over an incident while he was still EFCC boss.According
to source, YarAdua called Ribadu to inform him of his
decision to run for president and Ribadu who was shocked
by that ambition dismissed YarAdua as a non starter.The
EFCC boss allegedly told YarAdua that there was a viable
candidate already in person of Nasir el Rufai. Unknown
to Ribadu, it was the same former President
Olusegun Obasanjo,who had given Elrufai assurances of
support, that had also asked YarAdua to join the race.At
the time Ribadu dismissed YarAdua`s ambition as a non
starter, Obasanjo had made up his dump elrufai without
telling him.Newsdiaryonline was certainly aware
that el rufai`s campaign had been rearing to
go,but the campaign machine which had been
mobilized did not take off the ground as it
emerged later that Obasanjo had betrayed his boys and
chosen YarAdua instead.Sources said he chose Yar`Adua
because he hoped the man would not live long and that
that his bosom friend and ally Peter Odili whom he
wanted to make YarAdua`s running mate would emerge
president as soon as YarAdua expires.
What
followed later was a classic tale of political cloak
-and –dagger intrigues.Perhaps due to Obasanjo`s
intervention,Ribadu and elrufai abandoned their plans
and joined forces with YarAdua.They campaigned secretly
as they flew with YarAdua from one strategic city to
another wooing and cajoling emirs and influential people
to accept YarAdua.Ribadu apparently got carried away and
when one of his friends cautioned him against Yar`Adua
he laughed uproariously in Abuja saying YarAdua
would not dump them.He was very sure of that.How wrong
now!
Sources said
it was the twin efforts of Ribadu and el rufai that
frustrated the emergence of Odili as vice president.The
EFC C released reports against Odili.Obasanjo felt
thoroughly betrayed by Ribadu and El Rufai.The former
president told YarAdua not to trust Ribadu and the
former FCT minister.After stopping Odili, the former
EFCC boss and el Rufai were said to have been the men
behind the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as Vice
President.They did this because Goodluck is seen as
level- headed and not the over-ambitious hawk that may
wish to do any negative thing to Yar`Adua to
take advantage of his ill- health.In effect, despite the
initial misgivings, Ribadu trusted YarAdua, worked
tirelessly for his emergence.But it is treachery and
betrayal he is receiving from the president.But
there is another school of thought that says Obasanjo
too is silently goading YarAdua to deal with the duo of
Ribadu and el rufai. ” I cannot rule that fact out
because, Obaanjo and YarAdua strangely became very close
again.He influenced the choice of these new ministers,”
a source said .The former president is believed to be
very sorely bitter that Ribadu and elRufai worked from
the inside to kill his third term plot.Obasanjo has
not forgiven them for that despite all pretences
to the contrary.
Interestingly,
soon after YarAdua emerged president, he made new
friends and the former governors who faced the hammer of
Ribadu became the president`s best allies.James Ibori of
Delta state is the most prominent ex- governor in this
mould.Newsdiaryonline had earlier reported that
after Ribadu`s sack as EFCC boss, Ibori and one other ex
governor made telephone calls to Ribadu threatening to
deal more blows on him.
But
everything is being made to look like a disciplinary
issue now.Officially,Police Committee recommended his
sack and on Tuesday Dec 23,he was dismissed
following approval from the Police service Commission,
despite being in court to enforce his right.In fact the
deluge of police queries to Ribadu mounted after
he and other students from the National Institute
of Policy and Strategic Studies ,NIPSS , Kuru visited
Aso Rock wearing mufti while his course mates wore their
service uniforms.As Newsdiaryonline
reported earlier, soon after the studentsdeparted from
the villa, YarAdua telephoned Mike Okiro, the
Inspector General of Police, IG and wanted to know why
Ribadu was improperly dressed for an official
occasion.The president was so angry that he banged the
phone on Okiro.The chain of events that followed that
incident is now history as the Police topshots appear to
have read the president`s lips quite well.
Is
this the rule of law? Also,it is a paradox that while
the ex -anti corruption czar`s woes are mounting, the ex
-governors he battled against are getting some soft
-landing.While it is true that Ribadu`s anti corruption
war was imperfect and even his style at times
questionable,it is a fact of history that he elevated
the struggle against graft beyond the ordinary level
through his courage and tenacity of purpose.He should be
treated commentators have said like a role model
whose weaknesses should be improved upon.Ribadu does not
deserve the ill -treatment being meted out to him by the
Umaru Musa YarAdua regime.It is really strange that a
presidency that is so hostile to Ribadu has been very
receptive to ex governors with questions to answer.Do
you believe President Yar`Adua is fighting corruption
any more?.
Meanwhile
unofficial sources say President YarAdua may commence
his six-week vacation today Wednesday December
24.But it is believed that the `vacation` tag is just a
cover for the sick leave that it is.The
preparation for the trip has heightened since the
Supreme court legitimized his election under
controversial circumstances.
RIBADU
EXCLUSIVE :`THEIR PLOT IS TO
BLACKMAIL ME BUT THEY WILL FAIL` NEWSDIARYONLINE
INVESTIGATION
Posted 11.20pm Thursday Dec 11,
2008, newsdiaryonline
By DANLAMI NMODU
Embattled former Chairman of
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC made a dramatic appearance at the Abuja
headquarters of the commission.Sources said he walked up
to the office of the chairman, Farida Waziri.But
Ribadu found out that she was not available.
Ribadu`s appearance gave the lie to
the rumour that he had gone on exile.His return to the
public confirms newsdiaryonline report that
contrary to the exile story, Ribadu has
actually been within Nigeria.A source close to
Ribadu told newsdiaryonline Thursday that
Ribadu chose the`` sallah period to just stay away
from public glare.He was tired and needed some
rest.He also decided not to Nigerian read newspapers at
that time so that he could have full rest``;whether that
was meant to be a joke remains unclear.
It was further learnt Ribadu
was not shocked that Farida was not in office when he
appeared at the office.A source Thursday night quoted
Ribadu saying `` they cannot confront me``.Ribadu it was
learnT yesterday ``appears very prepared to answer
any question from any quarters``
The
former EFCC boss ,it has been revealed is very
conscious of the plot against him.He confided in
associates that the plot is not really to imprison
him``They just want to blackmail me and bring me down in
the eye of the people`` a source quoted him last night,
but the popular ex- EFCC boss believes his detractors
will fail.
``What these people we fought
tirelessly against are doing is to propaganda that is
cheap`` he reportedly said repeatedly .Credible
sources said Ribadu has dismissed the recent allegations
against him as cheap lies and baseless
propaganda.Of late , newsmagazines have been awash with
tales that cheques and drafts seized by Ribadu`s EFCC
were locked up and unaccounted for properly, suggesting
that some under- hand deals may have occurred.But Ribadu
said such allegations are blatent lies,
newsdiaryonline learnt last night.The cheques making
the rounds now were properly handed over, a source close
to Ribadu said.In fact there was a notorious case of a
bank chief who obtained bank drafts fraudulently.The
chieftains of the bank informed Ribadu`s EFCC that such
drafts were fraudulently obtained and the commission
chose to hold on to such fraudulent drafts.Now
those bank drafts are being bandied as indications of
wrong doing by the Ribadu regime.But the truth really,
according to the ex-EFCC boss` associate , is that
anyone can print cheques,you can even claim that Ribadu
did all kinds of things.But he is said to be ``sad
``that those who want to bring him down are resorting to
``gutter`` tactics
``Look, this is not about me, it is
not about Nuhu Ribadu, every good Nigerian must join
this campaign to save the anti corruption struggle
before these crooks take control..These crooks can never
like me because of my single- minded battle
against them; it is only Allah that has been saving me``
were the words of Ribadu as revealed to
newsdiaryonline by his confidant.Perhaps was with
reference to the recently reported assassination attempt
on his life .The associate said it was regrettable that
the man who fought so hard to keep the anti corruption
war on the front burner is now the target of a campaign
of calumny.
What Ribadu finds amazing is the
allegation that he owns property in far- flung places
like Dubai and others.``I hate to live in Dubai, I have
not gone there except in transit`` Ribadu reportedly
said.He is prepared to sign any document presented to
him authorizing government to seize all property
allegedly belonging to him , his associate insisted last
night.
Ribadu`s travails were compounded
since the arrest of James Ibori , the former
governor of Delta state.Before then Michael Aondoakkaa
the attorney general of the federation battled to take
control of the trial of ex governors from the EFCC.As
the influence of the ex governors grew under the Umaru
YarAdua presidency, they allegedly influenced the
removal of Ribadu.He was sent to NIPSS kuru.Later he was
demoted from AIG to DCP.But the travails took a
embarrassing turn as he was dragged out of the
graduation hall at Kuru after completing a year-long
course .A committee was set up by the police to get
Ribadu and others provide answers to some queries that
suddenly tumble out of official ciclesBut Ribadu failed
to show up in Kaduna.Reports say the committee has
recommended that he be sacked from the police.But global
bodies like the Human Rights Watch have weighed in
,urging everyone to protect Ribadu especially in the
light threats to his life and the seemingly
deliberate attempt to denigrate his war against
graft.Though Ribadu led a controversial war, even most
of his critics believe he performed with unusual courage
and patriotism.Anyone who gives his all to the nation
certainly does not deserve the humiliation Ribadu is
being subjected to of late.
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