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 A Chicago district court hearing the case of former head of state, General Abdusalam Abubakar (rtd) has ordered him to appear in person in the Chicago courtroom or face contempt charges. This order followed the refusal by Abubakar to file a status report as ordered by the district court as well as his refusal to appear in person at the court hearing as required by Judge Kennelly of the United States District Court Northern District of Illinois. Subsequently, General Abubakar and his lawyer, Emeka Ugwonye have been ordered to appear in court on July 26 2006 at 9:30 AM

Earlier today, in an interview with the Plaintiff’s attorney, Mr. Kayode Oladele, he said that the show cause order was made by the court sua sponte, that is, on its own accord and it is strictly between General Abubakar, his attorney and the Court. The Court, according to Oladele, “was simply not impressed by their disobedience to its order and the reasons they gave for their failure to obey the order.”  On what would be the consequences of disobeying the show cause order?  “Well, I don’t want to hazard any guess for now, but I think it would be in his best interest to obey the Order because the consequences of disobeying it may be very unpleasant.” said Oladele

With this order, Judge Kennelly is setting the ground for the arrest of the defendant for his involvement in human rights abuses during military rule in Nigeria. An international arrest warrant may be issued for General Abubakar should he fail to honor the order of the court. In making the order, the district high court judge ignored a motion filed by Abubakar lawyers claiming that he-Abubakar-is a member of the “National Security Council” and as such could not travel out of Nigeria without clearance, citing security reasons but that claim was immediately dismissed by foremost human rights activist and president of the West Africa Bar Association (WBA), Femi Falana. He dismissed the claim by Abubakar of his membership of the National Security Council as fallacious, saying no such position exist, instead he  drew attention to the “Council of State” which he said is an advisory body to the president, to which all former heads of state belong. He spoke to Saharareporters  at the John F Kennedy Airport in New York on his way to Lagos enroute London. According to him, “General Abubakar doesn’t need any clearance to travel out of Nigeria from anyone, therefore his excuse is not tenable and I am really happy that Judge Kennelly could see through the veil”.

Just as Judge Kennelly was giving his order, human rights activists in Nigeria have stepped up high level contacts in New York with Human Rights Watch regarding General Ibrahim Babangida, leaders of the human rights community have commenced discussions with Mr. Reed Brody, a veteran human rights defender and special counsel with Human Rights Watch in New York to bring charges against IBB over his well documented abuses of human rights during his eight year rule. Reed Brody is also responsible for bringing former Chadian dictator, Hissene Habre’s case to the attention of the international community leading to his arrest in Senegal. Saharareporters asked Mr. Femi Falana about plans to bring IBB to trial and he said serious discussions are going on between the human rights community in Nigeria as well as international human rights organizations and international justice groups to effect the trial of IBB for his crimes against humanity very soon.

The human rights community in Nigeria is planning to give IBB the “Habre Treatment”

Robot  # 1 | 14.07.2006 00:04

://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/885000/images/_886446_abubakar150.A ...Read the full article.

BiafranPrincess  # 2 | 14.07.2006 10:28

I IBB and Abubakar are made to face trial, esp IBB, I would know that there is indeed justice in this world. Infact I will throw a party of celebration

Akin Fasuyi  # 3 | 14.07.2006 20:32

So, Femi Falana et all want a case like this tried in the United States? What is Nigeria now......a colony of the U.S.? I don't give a damn about Abubakar or whoever is deemed to have committed some crimes...but to have cases about Nigerian domestic affairs tried in the US?

Nwagwu  # 4 | 15.07.2006 06:42

NIgeria is one of the easiest countries to rule with people like the last speaker as citizens. All these generas who stole and killed our people di not have college degrees, yet, they have mansons all over the place while profs and docs are swaeting it out to eat one time in a day. They can be tried anywhere because the Nigerian judiciary is in their pockets. They know that all the book people in Nigeria are timid anyway. If the last speaker, I am sure, must be one of those struggling Nigerian abroad but he is too "patriotic " to admit the truth.

mike odusanya  # 5 | 17.07.2006 23:59

That every occasion that has to do with discipline has to be handled by the US or the Uk or anybody else but us; is a third worlders point of view. Nigerians have to believe in their own system; the system, which ever it is would not be golden at the first try like everything else in the world, but premature. This gives us the oppourtunity to make mistakes and learn from them. But only possible if we as long has we honor the the system. Abdulsalam can be tried in any international court that is suited for his crime; that is, a court with legal jurisdiction over the matter , but not a district court in northern illinois. Before you know it, inheritance dispute between myself and my siblings would be tried in South Africa! just kidding. However, we have to respect our system, whatever that may be.