Former Governor James Ibori Arrested In Abuja

Dec

2007

	By *Omoyele Sowore /Sahara Reporters* 12 December 2007

Sahararreporters, Abuja-Nigeria
Saharareporters can confirm that officers of the EFCC arrested James Ibori, former governor of Delta State, today in Abuja.

Mr. Ibori was picked up at 9 a.m. at the Kwara State Liaison House in Abuja where he was hiding out under the protection of the Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki.

His arrest coincided with Umar Yar'adua’s departure from Nigeria to make a state visit to the U.S.

Ibori had recently returned from Ghana where he was hiding out under false names. However, he made a quick departure from his Accra hotel after Saharareporters reported that British police were surreptitiously monitoring his movements. He feared that Interpol might arrest him and hand him over to British authorities who are prosecuting him on charges that he engaged in extensive money laundering activities.

Officers of the EFCC are currently interrogating Ibori at their Abuja office. He may be charged to court as early as tomorrow.

More to come

ABUJA (AFP) - The former governor of Nigeria's oil rich Delta state, James Ibori, was arrested Wednesday on corruption and money-laundering charges, an official with the national anti-graft agency said.

"Ibori was arrested this morning by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission," the official, who asked not to be named, told AFP.

He said the once powerful governor would soon appear in court over charges of looting millions of dollars of state funds and money laundering.

Ibori who ruled Delta from 1999 to 2007, has also been under investigation by the British police following the discovery of assets in Britain suspected to have been acquired with money stolen during his tenure.

In his eight years as governor, Ibori's annual salary was less than 25,000 dollars (17,000 euros), yet he was able to transfer millions of dollars to British bank accounts, media reports said.

A British court recently froze 35 million dollars worth of his assets, according to the same reports.

Ibori was reputed to be a big financier of President Umaru Yar'Adua during the disputed presidential polls in April, politicians in Abuja said.

This, together with reports in the British press saying Nigeria's attorney general Michael Aondokaa had attempted to have Ibori's assets un-frozen, has led to speculation that he was being shielded from prosecution by the government.

Your Comments

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Robot

# 1 | 12.12.2007 11:10

	...Read the full article.

denker denker is offline

# 2 | 12.12.2007 11:27

	..see more reliable link here...the report is more elaborative! Nigerian ex-governor of oil...

Oru-Ama Oru-Ama is offline

# 3 | 12.12.2007 11:37

	HA! HA! HA! How are the mighty falling? I pray at the end of it all, he will be made to face the music squarely. Enough is enough!

Auspicious Auspicious is offline

# 4 | 12.12.2007 12:04

	Good. So what happens next? Lemme Guess: Michael Aondoakaa will come with guns blazing? :neutral: HA! Auspicious.

Zanderlex Zanderlex is offline

# 5 | 12.12.2007 12:20

	I am not satisfied with arrest alone. I pray for the recovery of all the stolen money and intact return to Delta State as he serves his time in full. I hope this is not a mere public show as has been the case of Orji kalu, Joshua Dariye, Nnamani and the rest of the them.

mulan

# 6 | 12.12.2007 12:43

	I am keeping my fingers crossed till he is arraigned and sentenced...

Oghre

# 7 | 12.12.2007 12:50

	Sometimes I don't know if people like him should be left alone, He is a big disgrace to Africa. Oya come see me wahala, some white people in my office don dey inform me say some Nigerian Governor has been arrested for stealing money that is the equivalent cash of some High street banks vault. Does people like Ibori have any shame? It is us Nigerians in Diaspora that suffer these humiliations. I am fed up

Enforcer Enforcer is offline

# 8 | 12.12.2007 12:51

	=Auspicious;4294971830>Good. So what happens next? Lemme Guess: Michael Aondoakaa will come with guns blazing? :neutral: HA! Auspicious. ...........and assist his friend on some legal technical loop holes that can set him free.

Enforcer Enforcer is offline

# 9 | 12.12.2007 12:53

	=mulan;4294971844>I am keeping my fingers crossed till he is arraigned and sentenced... ......I hope you wouldn't need a surgery on your fingers after having kept them crossed for so long! Good luck, sister!

Oghre

# 10 | 12.12.2007 12:58

	=Enforcer;4294971851>......I hope you wouldn't need a surgery on your fingers after having kept them crossed for so long! Good luck, sister! Enforcer, Crossing fingers and waiting until for something magical to happen is a popular Nigerian pastime, stop picking on Mulan. He is only being a Nigerian. -B

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