Mr. Henry Imomotimi Okah has been in detention now for roughly 18 months. Following a high stake international drama, he was illegally apprehended, and then flown to Nigeria where he was again illegally detained and then brought before the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Abuja. In all, there are fourteen charges against Mr. Okah -- the gravest being treason, and illegal arms deals.

 This is perhaps the first, in the history of modern Nigeria, where a man who was acting in good faith and with clear conscience, was arrested simply for seeking political inclusivity, fair resource allocation, and infrastructural development for his people and his region. The Government claimed that Henry Okah intended to “intimidate the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” Nonsense, preposterous; so laughable

 During Mr. Okah’s arrest, detention and non-trial, the Nigerian legal community, socio-political groups, and the larger civil-society has, for the most part, disturbingly kept quiet. And even the Nigerians media is mostly silent on the issue.  So far, the media is behaving as though it has seen no wrong and heard no wrong. To witness wrongdoings and egregiousness and not speak, or acts against it, is to condone and acquiesce to injurious transgressions.

 All the aforementioned groups, especially the Nigerian Bar Association, should have been at the forefront -- not necessarily in support of Henry Okah -- but in support of justice and fair-speedy trial. Those in pursuit of justice cannot be selective about justice because of the type of persons involved. What’s more, the Ijaw National Congress, along with the Ijaw Youth Council, should have been involved -- actively involved -- in “Henry Okah versus the Federal Government.”

 Sadly and ironically, all groups and all persons that usually run around carrying placards and dashing from one media house to another -- espousing justice and fairness -- have all gone silent. Silent and indifferent. This silence and indifference has allowed the Nigerian Government to do what it generally does best: abuse, rape, and violating citizens’ constitutional entitlements.

 The Nigerian Government made it seem as though Mr. Okah is an outlaw who operated outside of the law. The Nigerian Government painted Mr. Okah as a man bent on doing the Nigerian Government and its people grave harm. They allege that he (Okah) committed treason against the State; and that he was an illegal arms dealer who supplied arms and ammunition to the highest bidders. He is also alleged to be part of a syndicate involved in seditious and secessionist activities.

 If Mr. Henry Imomotimi Okah was the type of man he is being portrayed as, then, President Musa Yar’Adua, Vice President Jonathan Goodluck, and many other high ranking government officials – at both the federal and state level – are guilty of some of the crimes he is being accused of. At one time or another, Henry Okah had dealings with both Yar’Adua and Jonathan Goodluck.

 A few submissions need to be made. First, it is on record that President Yar’Adua spoke and consulted with Mr. Henry Okah on various issues bordering on Nigeria’s national security interest. So vital was Okah’s counsel that the President expressed his gratitude and called for continuing dialogue on how to move the State forward. Question: if Henry Okah was a criminal, why did the President of Nigeria -- the chief guardian of the Nigerian Constitution -- consult with such a man?

 Second, if Mr. Okah was a danger to Nigeria’s national security interest, what caused Vice President Jonathan Goodluck to actively seek his (Okah) wise counsel? Why would Jonathan Goodluck, as Chief of State in Bayelsa, and as the Vice President of Nigeria, meet with a supposed outlaw? Why? They met on several occasions (in person and on the phone) to converse about the wellbeing of the nation.

 The Nigerian intelligence agencies, along with other security apparatus and Aso Rock cannot feign ignorance of these incontrovertible facts. These events – Yar’Adua and Jonathan Goodluck’s several dialogue and consultation with Okah – could not have taken place if (a) Okah was a danger to the State; (b) if his business enterprise was illegal; (c) if Okah had no interest in the safety and security of Nigeria; and (d) if he was part of a criminal syndicate.

 In other words, why would the President and the Vice President of Nigeria consult and engage in continuous conversations with a sworn enemy? By the way: what went wrong? What caused the tension and the friction? Why did the conversations break down? Why did the consultations cease? At what point did both Yar’Adua and Jonathan Goodluck determine that he (Henry Okah) was no longer working for the interest of Nigeria and its peoples?

 Finally, what was the nature of the talks/agreements between the President and Mr. Okah? What was the nature of the talks/agreements between the Vice President and Mr. Okah? Furthermore, what was the nature of the talks/agreements between Mr. Okah and various federal and state functionaries? Such talks and agreements may not yet be part of public record. However, several private and public sources have confirmed that the sticking point was “what to do about the Niger Delta.”

 The Niger Delta, as the UNDP posited, is home to amazing paradoxes: A “gigantic economic reservoir of national and international importance” is a cathedral of “administrative neglect, crumbling social infrastructure and services, high unemployment, social deprivation, abject poverty, filth and squalor, and endemic conflict.”

 The Nigerian Guardian also observed that “The Niger Delta crisis is without doubt the most potent expression of the failure of the Nigerian state…The region’s crisis has become the sore of the nation, a cancer that may erode the fragile bonds that hold this polyethnic nation together…A rapacious ruling elite has reduced the people of the Niger…to a life of penury. “

 Could it be that this six decade old injustice was too unconscionable and too barbaric for Mr. Henry Okah to bear and to ignore? He was not going to be a bystander; neither was he going to be indifferent to the internal exploitation of the people by the State and its elites. In line with some of the greats of the region -- Adaka Boro, Ken Saro-Wiwa, Asari Dokubo, etc, etc -- he decided to stand by his people.

 The world over, no man who seeks justice is an outlaw. No man who commits his time, energy, resources, and intellect, to the pursuit of his people’s fundamental human rights can be rightly considered an outlaw. Such men and women are universally considered heroes. Sadly, Nigeria has no room for heroes; hence, the decision of the federal government (presided over by Yar’Adua and Jonathan Goodluck) to arrest, prosecute, and take out of circulation Mr. Henry Imomotimi Okah.

 Nigerians must know, indeed the international community must know that until the breakdown of the agreements between President Yar’Adua and Vice President Jonathan Goodluck on one hand, and Mr. Henry Okah on the other side of the negotiating table, he Okah was a free man who went about his business at home and abroad. He was a man of peace.

 Henry Okah was variously sought after to effect peace and stability in the Niger Delta. Such a man cannot be considered a danger to the State. If he was, if he is, let the Courts decide. But as it is, Mr. Okah has become one of the bargaining chips in government’s dangerous and multifaceted arsenal in the Niger Delta region. The Nigerian Government’s policy of internal colonization must not be allowed to stand.

Sabidde@yahoo.com

Robot  # 1 | 06.12.2008 00:19

Mr. Henry Imomotimi Okah has been in detention now for roughly 18 months. Following a high stake international drama, he was illegally apprehended, and then flown to Nigeria where he was again illegally detained and then brought before the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Abuja. In all, there are fourteen charges against Mr. Okah -- the gravest being treason, and illegal arms deals. This is perhaps the first, in the history of modern Nigeria, where a man who was acting in good faith and with clear conscience, was arrested simply for seeking political inclusivity, fair resource allocation, and infrastructural development for his people and his region. The Government claimed that Henry Okah intended to “intimidate the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” Nonsense, preposterous; so laughable During Mr. Okah’s arrest, detention and non-trial, the Nigerian legal community, socio-political groups, and the larger civil-society has, ...Read the full article.

Agidimolaja  # 2 | 06.12.2008 01:56

Henry Okah is a man of peace? Good song Sabella; yo ho ho and a bottle of rum, fifteen men on the deadman's chest, drinking and the devil had done for the rest, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! Thanks Sabella. Surely,blood is thicker than water. Good lamentations indeed but tell it to the winds that Okah is a man of peace.What peace? yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. So,goodluck to you Henry Okah as you continues to languish in your jail cell and may your road be rough, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. We'll see you again but we know not when, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

BDudu  # 3 | 06.12.2008 03:08

Okah is a freedom fighter (as many people, including Wole Soyinka, have acknowledged publicly), and there is no taking that away from him. SOA, you have done well to bring this subject to life at this time. By the way, many other Nigerian individuals and groups (apart from MEND) have been vociferously fighting for Henry's rights and freedom. Welcome to the "informal-team". BDudu

Abraxas  # 4 | 06.12.2008 03:35

Hi, Mr. Agidimolaja! What proof do YOU have that Mr. Imoimotimi Henry Okah is not a man of peace? Or do you prefer to pronounce him guilty until proven innocent by a secret quasi-military tribunal in JOS? Maybe, you will soon also accuse him of masterminding the recent "militant" activities in Jos North LGA, Plateau State, that have taken over 300 lives, by his mere presence there? Why is he being tried in Jos, in the first place? I thought he commited the crimes that they charged him with in the Niger Delta region, not the Savannah region! Mxstcheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeew! ...... Nonsense! Obrigado. Don Juan-Carlos ABRAXAS (III)

Agidimolaja  # 5 | 07.12.2008 01:14

Abraxas, And what proof have you that he is a man of peace? Don't ask me,ask Attorney General why he is detained and why he is being tried in Jos. Apart from this bunch of useless nonsense you quickly packaged to me; what effort have you personally made so far to effect Henry Okah's release? Have you staged or led a demonstration on his behalf? If you are convinced that he is wrongly detained,why have you not gone to plead his case instead of this fast talking? The record is there to show that he is not a man of peace. All you needed to do is check the record. Any wonder then why all groups have kept so quiet about him? Wole Shoyinka's proclamation is his personal opinion, it does not reflect mine. You are surely so blind to the truth!

Abraxas  # 6 | 07.12.2008 02:35

=Agidimolaja;297717>Abraxas, And what proof have you that he is a man of peace? Don't ask me,ask Attorney General why he is detained and why he is being tried in Jos. Apart from this bunch of useless nonsense you quickly packaged to me; what effort have you personally made so far to effect Henry Okah's release? Have you staged or led a demonstration on his behalf? If you are convinced that he is wrongly detained,why have you not gone to plead his case instead of this fast talking? The record is there to show that he is not a man of peace. All you needed to do is check the record. Any wonder then why all groups have kept so quiet about him? Wole Shoyinka's proclamation is his personal opinion, it does not reflect mine. You are surely so blind to the truth! Hi, Mr. Agidimolaja! Simply put, I am NOT blind to the truth: On the contrary, you are, understandably, very biased. Note very well that I have NOT asserted that Mr. Omoimotimi Henry Okah is a man of peace. I am only assuming that, under the Nigerian law, he is INNOCENT, just like any other free citizen of that country, until proven guilty, beyond reasonable doubt, in an OPEN court of competent jurisdiction. For a start, there is NO record in the public domain to show that the person called Mr. Omoimotimi Henry Okah is NOT a man of peace, just like there is NO record in the public domain that confirm that YOU, Mr. Agidimolaja, are NOT a man of peace! Chikena! Fa te! Opari! O zu go! Finito! The ONLY legal way of proving that Mr. Omoimotimi Henry Okah, (or Mr. Agidimolaja) IS NOT a man of peace, is in an OPEN court of law of competent jurisdiction, and NOT by the brainwaves and recommendations of a supposedly omniscient and infallible Attorney General of the Federation, or on the presumptions of ill-informed commentators on the Square. And, by the way, I do not need to make any personal effort to effect the release of Mr. Omoimotimi Henry Okah's release.I hope you realize that in a democracy, the courts are not operated on the assumption that accused persons would require a crowd of able supporters or opposers of a case, in order to arrive at a fair judgment, vis-a-vis their innocence or guilt. Stop developing selective amnesia simply because of your inherent biases and palpable prejudices, my friend. Muchas gracias. Don Juan-Carlos ABRAXAS (III)

Abraxas  # 7 | 07.12.2008 03:15

=Agidimolaja;297717>Abraxas, And what proof have you that he is a man of peace? Don't ask me,ask Attorney General why he is detained and why he is being tried in Jos. Apart from this bunch of useless nonsense you quickly packaged to me; what effort have you personally made so far to effect Henry Okah's release? Have you staged or led a demonstration on his behalf? If you are convinced that he is wrongly detained,why have you not gone to plead his case instead of this fast talking? The record is there to show that he is not a man of peace. All you needed to do is check the record. Any wonder then why all groups have kept so quiet about him? Wole Shoyinka's proclamation is his personal opinion, it does not reflect mine. You are surely so blind to the truth! Hi, Mr. Agidimolaja! Simply put, I am NOT blind to the truth: On the contrary, you are, understandably, very biased. Note very well that I have NOT asserted that Mr. Omoimotimi Henry Okah is a man of peace. I am only assuming that, under the Nigerian law, he is INNOCENT, just like any other free citizen of that country, until proven guilty, beyond reasonable doubt, in an OPEN court of competent jurisdiction. For a start, there is NO record in the public domain to show that the person called Mr. Omoimotimi Henry Okah is NOT a man of peace, just like there is NO record in the public domain that confirm that YOU, Mr. Agidimolaja, are NOT a man of peace! Chikena! Fa te! Opari! O zu go! Finito! The ONLY legal way of proving that Mr. Omoimotimi Henry Okah, (or Mr. Agidimolaja) IS NOT a man of peace, is in an OPEN court of law of competent jurisdiction, and NOT by the brainwaves and recommendations of a supposedly omniscient and infallible Attorney General of the Federation, or on the presumptions of ill-informed commentators on the Square. And, by the way, I do not need to make any personal effort to effect the release of Mr. Omoimotimi Henry Okah's release.I hope you realize that in a democracy, the courts are not operated on the assumption that accused persons would require a crowd of able supporters or opposers of a case, in order to arrive at a fair judgment, vis-a-vis their innocence or guilt. Stop developing selective amnesia simply because of your inherent biases and palpable prejudices, my friend. Muchas gracias. Don Juan-Carlos ABRAXAS (III)

izonboy  # 8 | 07.12.2008 08:41

As an Ijaw man, I find this piece interesting. But with the greastest respect to the author, I beg to disagree with the position sought to be advocated. There is no law that says ALL TRIALS must be in public. The idea of a public trial is to ensure that justice is not just done but is seen to be done. It does not mean that it is an opportunity for the public to contribute to the judicial process or for the person facing trial to dance to the jury. Having said that, I am wondering whether the Okahs and Asari-Dokubos of this world are truely the freedom fighters that they want us to believe they are. These are the same people who parade the streets of Port Harcourt, Yenagoa and Warri with state-of-the Art cars while the people they are supposed to be fighting for are mostly languishing in poverty. So much has been collected in ransome for kidnapping and in oil bunkering. Yes, they have to buy weapons for their struggle, how many boreholes have they put anywhere? How many textbooks have they bought for primary school children. Why must the Ijaw nation help them to get relevance to line their pockets? We have to be realistic. The Ijaw and indeed, the Niger Delta struggle has been bastardised so much that some of us wonder if people know exactly where we are going and where we are comming from. Okah had meetings with the President and the Vice President, so what? Asari-Dokubo aslo held such meetings. Chief Government also held telephone interviews. Does that mean they are suddenly untouchable`? Some of us were glad that the militants in the Niger Delta were brave to take up the fight, but now we are not so sure any longer. Patronage from Niger Delta states governors, insane and vulgar display of wealth gotten from kidnapping and oiul bunkering etc. Where is the interest of the Ijaw man in all of these? If justice has not been done in the Okah case, I think his lawyer is paid to attend to that issue. The freedom fighters on whose behalf civil society in Nigeria have fought were not those kidnapping innocent people. IT IS A WAR CRIME TO KIDNAP and there is no reason why anyone should eulogise Okah and his ilks for kidnapping. Sabotaging oil installations is one thing, putting hostages and their families through psychological trauma is another. Okah and his folks played God with the lives of people, he should not complian when others play God with his life.

EezeeBee  # 9 | 07.12.2008 15:33

=izonboy;297775>As an Ijaw man, I find this piece interesting. But with the greastest respect to the author, I beg to disagree with the position sought to be advocated. There is no law that says ALL TRIALS must be in public. The idea of a public trial is to ensure that justice is not just done but is seen to be done. It does not mean that it is an opportunity for the public to contribute to the judicial process or for the person facing trial to dance to the jury. Having said that, I am wondering whether the Okahs and Asari-Dokubos of this world are truely the freedom fighters that they want us to believe they are. These are the same people who parade the streets of Port Harcourt, Yenagoa and Warri with state-of-the Art cars while the people they are supposed to be fighting for are mostly languishing in poverty. So much has been collected in ransome for kidnapping and in oil bunkering. Yes, they have to buy weapons for their struggle, how many boreholes have they put anywhere? How many textbooks have they bought for primary school children. Why must the Ijaw nation help them to get relevance to line their pockets? We have to be realistic. The Ijaw and indeed, the Niger Delta struggle has been bastardised so much that some of us wonder if people know exactly where we are going and where we are comming from. Okah had meetings with the President and the Vice President, so what? Asari-Dokubo aslo held such meetings. Chief Government also held telephone interviews. Does that mean they are suddenly untouchable`? Some of us were glad that the militants in the Niger Delta were brave to take up the fight, but now we are not so sure any longer. Patronage from Niger Delta states governors, insane and vulgar display of wealth gotten from kidnapping and oiul bunkering etc. Where is the interest of the Ijaw man in all of these? If justice has not been done in the Okah case, I think his lawyer is paid to attend to that issue. The freedom fighters on whose behalf civil society in Nigeria have fought were not those kidnapping innocent people. IT IS A WAR CRIME TO KIDNAP and there is no reason why anyone should eulogise Okah and his ilks for kidnapping. Sabotaging oil installations is one thing, putting hostages and their families through psychological trauma is another. Okah and his folks played God with the lives of people, he should not complian when others play God with his life. Thanks for your great comments. A question for you: If 'it is a war crime to kidnap', how do you describe the wanton and flagrant disregard for the lives and future of the inhabitants of the Niger delta areas whose lands and air are polluted 24/7? What kind of crime is that? Or doesn't that even rise to the level of a crime for you? Thanks.

Agidimolaja  # 10 | 07.12.2008 22:17

Abraxas, I maintained that you are quite blind to the truth. Hopefully,what izonboy wrote would help your eyes to facts that cannot be denied. If you cannot see the record that I'm a man of peace then you are quite blind to the truth. It is characteristic of me to visit Nigeria at least twice a year.Never was I arrested for any offence.I also travelled far and wide across the globe.Never was I denied entry into any nation and never got arrested while there because I was never involved in any crime nor became a suspect. Why was Okah arrested?Was it not as a result of being a suspect?Would he be arrested if he was not suspected of something? Are you trying to say that you are unaware of why he was arrested? Who did not? In my opinion and according to his record,he is not a man of peace.It however does not mean that he is already guilty until the court pronounced him as guilty. I did not at no time found him guilty and I have no such power, but I'm entitled to my personal opinion.Do you say nay? Being in custody is part of trial process.He is still going through due process by being in detention pending trial. For how long?Don't ask me.Ask those who suspected him,arrested him and detained him. Anything else you are saying is as usual,bunch of useless nonsense!

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