Ifeanyi Alia
16 August 2003
opinion
Lagos — For the former president of Liberia, Charles Ghankay Taylor, who is currently cooling his feet in Calabar as an exile in Nigeria, controversy is the name of the game. Before and during his reign as the number one citizen of Liberia, a.k.a "land of liberty", Taylor has been a man of high drama beginning from the time he entered the trenches to deal with late president Samuel Doe in the 80's till date. Taylor's high drama portrait took a toll on Nigeria's political firmament in recent times following the furore on whether he deserved to reside in Nigeria on asylum or not. Suffice to say that the hoopla over Taylor in Nigeria is far from being over.
Actually, the embattled ex-president arrived Nigeria early in the week for exile even as fighting continued in the war-torn Liberia during the week. However, the issue for now is implications of Nigeria's big brother gesture of hosting the ex-rebel-turned president of the beleaguered West African country. Tongues have been wagging on the asylum offer which Nigeria under the leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo gave to Taylor, regarded as "an indicted war criminal". Left to many Nigerians, Taylor should be allowed to face the full wrath of the law since he is being sought for by the international war crimes tribunal. However, many observers said during the week that though Nigeria agreed to host Taylor it does not mean that the man should not be handed over to the international criminal court (ICC) for trial if the United Nations so desires.
As a signatory to the UN treaty setting up the ICC, Nigeria, analysts aver, is bound to arrest and surrender Taylor to the world tribunal sitting in Sierra Leone. "Taylor has caused so much pains and sufferings with impunity in the whole of West African region, from Liberia to Sierra Leone to Cote d'Ivoire and Guinea. In the entire Mano River region, Taylor has left a tale of gross human rights violations", volunteered Barrister Bukhari Bello, the executive secretary of Nigeria's National Human Rights Commission.
Nigeria's former ambassador to Germany, Professor Jide Oshuntokun also deposed recently that the country's chances of clinching a seat at the UN Security Council might be jeopardised by the decision to harbour Taylor.
"It is wrong for Nigeria to give asylum to Taylor, a war criminal. It is not justifiable to grant asylum to an international fugitive;" Oshuntokun who now teaches History at the Univesity of Lagos, averred. Indeed, some legal experts believe that Nigeria as a member-state of UN is duty-bound to surrender Taylor to the war tribunal.
However, highly vexatious to many Nigerians concerning the man Taylor is the alleged role he played in the death of many Nigerian-born ECOMOG soldiers as well as two Nigerian journalists - Tayo Awotunsin of Champion and Krees Imodibie of Guardian newspapers, killed in 1989 during the early days of the Liberian crisis.
The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) has since entered a legal action against Taylor at the Federal High Court, Abuja. The NUJ sued Obasanjo for granting asylum to the ex-Liberian leader. According to Mr. Smart Adeyemi, NUJ president, Taylor should be allowed to answer charges of genocide levelled against him by the International Court rather than the asylum privilege granted to him by Nigeria.
"More importantly, Charles Taylor was the one who killed two Nigerian journalists in the course of covering the civil war in Liberia. So, we believe that our nation should not be a haven for Charles Taylor. He should be allowed to face the music," Adeyemi stressed.
Defending the federal government however, ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Vice Chairman, South-West, Chief Olabode George, argued that it was necessary for Nigerians to accommodate Mr. Taylor in order to prevent further carnage in Liberia.
Actually, Taylor was the isue in the over 14 years of fratricidal war in his country. Two groups called Movement for Democracy in Liberia (MODEL) and Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), have let hell loose on the country, ostensibly bent on flushing out Taylor from the Executive mansion in Monrovia. The rebels had almost succeeded in their mission, marching towards Monrovia even as they leave in their trail blood, tears, deaths and starvation among Liberians. The rebels insisted that Taylor must step down while the man vowed to fight to the end. Monrovia has been the scene of heavy bombardment since the last few weeks. Taylor himself, a warlord, led an armed rebellion during the 1980s and 1990s, before he won the presidential elections in 1997.
He was accused of alienating political opponents and ethnic groups within the country. At a point he allegedly wanted to snuff life out of George Weah, Liberia's celebrated international soccer star and former World Footballer of the Year.
Born in 1948 to a family of Americo-Liberians, the elite group that grew out of the freed slaves who founded the country in the 19th century, Taylor abdicated the throne Monday, August 11, 2003 following an intense international pressure. Before leaving Liberia Monday for Nigeria in Nigeria's presidential aircraft 001, the ex-leader handed over the reins of power to his vice, Mr. Moses Blah. The rebels have however rejected Taylor's successor, insisting on a completely new order which would involve all the warring parties even as they vowed to fight on. They want an interim government led by them to be put in place.
Taylor, his wife, Jewel and four daughters, as well as large retinue of extended family members have since moved to the Canaan city of Calabar, South-South Nigeria. "We will endeavour to be good hosts while he is in Nigria," Obasanjo assured. Cross River State governor, Donald Duke also said during the week that Taylor's presence would not pose "a security risk" in Calabar, contrary to fears in some quarters.
"His presence will not jeopardise the security of Nigeria. We will look after him. The man will not cross any one's path and will not be seen in public. He is also not in custody and will respect protocol;" Duke maintained.
Nigerian authorities also explained during the week that under protocol agreement Taylor was expected to respect his host country and will not do anything to embarrass the hosting state. No public appearances and statements are to be expected from the deposed leader. According to Duke, Cross River State was chosen as Taylor's new home as a mark of confidence in the serenity and security of the state, one of the oldest in the country and close to the sea. Concerning the possibility of extradicting Taylor to face the war crimes tribunal in Sierra Leone top Nigerian officials revealed that the country would prevail on UN as well as U.S to allow the ex-president serve his exile in peace. "The decision to have him in Nigeria is because of humanitarian interest".
However, a human rights organisation, Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) condemned the asylum offer, maintaining that Taylor was not welcome in the city of Calabar. "Mr. Taylor is a threat to the security and peace of this state (Cross River). His stay here will definitely hurt the tourism effort we have laboured to build. President Obasanjo should facilitate the speedy arrest and trial of Taylor," CLO stated. The ex-Liberian leader was unwilling to step aside from power even as the war raged on, insisting that international peace-keepers should arrive before he would leave power.
Before now, Taylor has always believed in Nigeria's ability and capability to manage crises and conflicts in the West Africa sub region on one hand and Africa as a whole.
"It is Nigeria that speaks for Africa". He recently commended Nigeria's peacekeeping efforts in war-torn countries like Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, among others, adding that "Afica is tired of war, ECOWAS is tired. All of us are tired of war".
Curiously, it is this same Charles Taylor who waged a relentless war against Nigeria-led West africa peace-keeping force in Liberia during his time as the leader of National patriotic front of Liberia (NPFL) Hundreds of Nigeria soldiers among ECOMOG force died following the offensive on ECOMOG by the rebels commended by Taylor. Speaking to Saturday Champion recently former ECOMOG field commander, Nigeria's General Victor Malu, retired, regretted the unnecessary reception as well as the asylum offer which Nigeria has now accorded to this "ex-enemy".
According to a foreign affairs expert, Dr. Bola Akinterinwa of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, N.I.I.A, Lagos, "Charles Taylor was very hostile to Nigeria, in particular and ECOMOG in general. More than three billion U.S. dollars was incurred by Nigeria to help restore peace in Liberia in the spirit of African brotherhood that is predicated on the need to be one's brother's keeper".
Again, particularly worrisome to member-states of the international community was Taylor's negative role in the Sierra Leonean conflict where he constituted a stumbling block to ECOWAS's determination to resolve the crisis amicably. For his role in the neighbouring country's conflict, Charles Taylor incurred the wrath of wa crime court sitting in Sierra Leone. The ICC has since classified the man as an "internationally-wanted criminal". The ICC set up to examine the abuses of international humanitarian law during the crises and conflicts in Sierra Leone placed an intenational warrant of arrest on Charles Taylor. To France, a permanent member of UN security council, Taylor is "public enemy number one in France, and as Osama Bin Laden is America's public enemy number one, so is Charles Taylor now public enemy number one of the International community."
However, outgoing French ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Jean-Marc Simon believed that "if the asylum of Taylor in Nigeria can help to find the peace solution, we think it is a good move. After that, we'll see if this man should be prosected or not. He did a lot of wrong things and will have to account for those things one day. But now, the most important thing is to give peace to the Liberian people."
In international politics, however, political asylum granted to someone, does not in any way mean a support for the offences allegedly committed by the person to whom asylum is given. Any country offering asylum is believed to be fully aware of the offences for which the political refugee is being pursued.
The asylum offer makes it mandatory for Charles Taylor to be subject to the territorial sovereignty and laws of the host state. Unless there is a treaty on extradiction between the host counry and the political asylee's home country, it means that Taylor cannot be pursued by his home government at least for now.
Again, Taylor cannot apply before the war crimes court unless Nigeria releases him.
Experts maintain during the week that Nigeria has already put herself in a tight corner by harbouring Taylor.
If the Obasanjo administration succumbs to international pressure, which is expected to rise, and hand over Taylor for trial, it means that the credibility of the federal government is at stake. Nigeria, many analysts aver, is the only African country capable of containing the heart which Taylor's asylum status will engender. But what the observers could not say for now is the aftermath on Nigeria if she rejects U.N. and U.S. plan to formally make the ex-warlord face UN tribunal. Refusing to release Taylor for trial may be interpreted as an indirect approval of the ex-president's so-called numerous crimes against humanity as well as his destabilization efforts in neighbouring West Africa country. Former PDP presidential aspirant, Alhaji Abubakar Rimi believed that the Obasanjo government erred in granting refuge to Taylor who he described as "a murderer".
"I do not think we should give a murderer an asylum. It is not good at all. Nigeria should not be seen to be harbouring people who commit crime and acts of unconstitutionality in their countries and run to Nigeria," Rimi deposed recently.
Apart from Taylor, Yormie Johnson, former Liberia rebels leader as well as General Felix Malloum of Chad Republic are on exile in Nigeria, Ex-Somalian president, Said Barre died in Nigeria on exile.
Charles Taylor arrived Calabar Tuesday via the Margaret Ekpo Airport, Calabar. All that he volunteered to newshounds was "I'm okay, no problem," lending credence to the speculations that he may have been censored by Nigerian authorities for now while relinguishing power Monday, he said he acted as "a sacrificial lamb" in order to save Liberia and Liberians. Has Nigeria bitten more than she could chew in accepting Taylor? Time will tell.
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