25 August 2005
Liberians United for Transparent Elections, a Liberian advocacy group that has been pressing for the extradition of former president Charles Taylor says it has evidence that Taylor is still meddling in Liberian politics.
Besides, the group said in a release circulated online recently, Mr. Taylor has met, in Nigeria, with several dissident groups and made several trips outside Calabar to supervise the further destabilization of the ECOWAS subregion.
It believes there is conspiracy in high places within the Nigerian government and that because of that the Government of Nigeria and ECOWAS continue to request for evidence even though there were enough evidence available and presented to warrant Taylor's extradition to Sierra Leone to face his accusers.
The Analyst brings you, verbatim, the group's account of Taylor's connections in the ECOWAS subregion.
"For the past many months, we have closely followed the activities of Charles G. Taylor, the former Liberian dictator now living under political asylum in Calabar, Nigeria. We have gathered ample evidence that Charles Taylor is very much involved in political activities in Liberia and is still lending his support to armed dissidents in the sub-region.
"The exposure of Taylor influence is essential to bring to light those governments, institutions and individuals that are doing business with him behind the scene and publicly defending his sheltering from justice by Nigeria as a deals brokered by the United States and Nigeria to keep him beyond the reach of international justice for the heinous crimes against humanity. We have credible evidence that Charles Taylor was directly involved in the planning, financing and directing the assassination on General Lansana Conteh the President of Guinea in January 2005.
"Between December, 23 and 25, 2004, heads of several West African dissidents started to arrive in Lagos, Nigeria. On December, 27, 2004, they all met in Calabar and held meeting with Charles Taylor on December 28, 2004 at about 1:39 am.
"Those attending that meeting included Gbabo Zumman-Gee Head of the Guinean rebel movement who is presently living in a the city of Kaduna in Nigeria in a house bought by Charles Taylor, Mr. Koukoie Samba Sanyang head of the Gambian rebel group known as the Gambian Redemption Force, Jankaba Samaty a Gambian Special Forces Commando who also works for Taylor as Liberia Ambassador to Libya and he has remained a Gambian citizen, Paul Bah Monic. Others are V. Lando Military advisor to Charles Taylor.
"Also in that meeting was the head of the Sierra Leone new rebel group known as the Independent Revolutionary United Front. His name is been withhold because of an ongoing investigation in West Africa.
And Captain Mbaye Diallo a former commander from Casamance, in Senegal who was assigned to the Ivorian military ruler Robert Gaye and now a special advisor to the New Forces of Guillaume Soro.
On January 5, 2005, we went to the Nigeria Foreign Ministry in Abuja to meet the Foreign Minister. When we arrived at the ministry's main entrance, we talked to one Sergeant Mohammed Larwah, a Nigerian police officer assigned at the ministry.
"We told the sergeant that we wanted to see the minister and what was the procedure? He asked who we were and where we were coming from. I told him that we are Liberians from Ouagadougou. I asked him if Minister Oluyemi Adeniji was in office. I told the officer that we have some documents for him, "You can not see him direct; give me the documents I will give it to his assistant." I call the officer on the side and give him $10.00 U.S.D. He told us to wait for him he will be back. He went up-stairs came back and took us with him to the minister's office and introduce us to one Mrs. Eli Ekpemuah the executive assistant in the minister's office. Mrs. Eli told us to leave everything for the minister along with our contact information and they will get back to us. We remained in Nigeria for three days without receiving the call from the minister's office. We were expecting a call from the minister to the details of the information we provided to them. Since Nigerians are very corrupt the authorities may not know about Taylor activities. That Nigeria will use the document to contact the various Governments since their nationals were mentioned in its.
"In that document we informed the minister that on December 3, 2004 Charles Taylor traveled from Calabar to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and changed plane and traveled to Benghazi, in Libya. He stayed out of Nigeria for 6 days. He traveled on an aircraft identified as # BF0034-11 AR. The color of the aircraft was dark green. Total passengers on board including Charles Taylor were seven. We told the minister that Charles Taylor was working with Guinean dissidents to assassinate the Guinean President and some of the dissidents were present here in Nigeria and other places. We give him copy of the communication sent by Charles Taylor to one General Coocoo Dennis instructing him to deliver heavy weapons to Captain Mbaye Diallo around the Liberia-Ivorian border. We included copies of the airline ticket for four of the dissidents who had meeting with Charles Taylor. We also included copies of their hotel receipts and phone numbers of other dissidents living in Calabar and other states in Nigeria. Because of the seriousness of the threat against the Guinean president, I remained in the hotel in Nigeria and contacted the Guineans Embassy in Washington. I met with Colonel Mamadou Salemu Diallo outside Washington and later spoke and met the Guinean Minister of Security Mr. Musah Aampil at the M. Plaza Hotel in Accra.
"On January 12, 2005, I called the Guinean minister of security and told him that several dissidents have moved inside Guinea and they along with some active members of the army may attack the president. I also called Mrs. Eli and told her that Charles Taylor's people were attempting to create chaos in the region.
She promised to pass on my massage to Minister Adeniji. I never got a call back. I started to become suspicious of Nigeria authorities. On January 19, 2005 the president was attacked and the investigation began. Some of the suspects arrested had direct link to Charles including two of those that attended the Calabar meeting. For verification reason I am giving your news organization the phone # of the Former Minister of Security of Guinea, Mr. Sampil cell +224-260-749 and the present Minister of Security Mr.
Osuman Camara +224-291-06 During the investigation I asked Mr. Musah Sampil why the Guinean Government was not going public that Charles Taylor was behind the assassination of their president? He said the Nigerian Government has asked them not to go public, that the Nigerian president and foreign minister have both spoken with the Guinean President and the prime minister. That they will resolve the issue in ECOWAS not in the press.
After the January incident, the Guinean intelligence and our organization started to monitor Charles Taylor activities in Calabar Nigeria and Ouagadougou Burkina Faso separately. On February 16, 2005 Charles Taylor arrived in Ouagadougou and remained in his own house in the Badua District in the capital. He met lots of people including politicians from Liberia that were there to receive money to help with their party campaigns. This was the second time on record Taylor has traveled out of Nigeria. We did not observe him traveling to Libya this time.
Party Funding.
"Regarding Charles Taylor meddling in Liberian electoral process, we have proof that he continues to pay money to several Liberian politicians. On Feb. 26 one of Charles Taylor's emissaries paid US $150, 000 (One Hundred & Fifty Thousand dollars). In a email sent to the emissary, Mr. Taylor said: "You must do as directed, time is not on our side, in difficult time we look up to our friends. Let me know. Thanks."
"President Obasanjo persistent requests for new evidences to turned Charles Taylor over to the UN tribunal is a front to deny ECOWAS, AU, UN, the international community and the people of Liberia and Sierra Leone the opportunity to bring criminals to justice. Charles Taylor's presence in Nigeria has undermined the credibility of Nigerian foreign and security policies and deal a collateral damage to the image and influence of Nigeria as an African power.
"Now we know that the presence of Charles Taylor in Nigeria is reduced to personnel and business interests between President Obasanjo and his Foreign Minister Adeniji."
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