Nigeria First (Abuja)
28 March 2006
Abuja — The Nigerian Government has officially reacted to the news of the disappearance of Mr Charles Taylor from his residence in Calabar, Cross River state.
President Olusegun Obasanjo ordered the immediate arrest of all security personnel detailed to guard Mr Taylor in Calabar.
This was announced in a Press Statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media, Mrs Oluremi Oyo on March 28.
President Obasanjo has also approved the constitution of a five-member Panel of Enquiry to look into the circumstances of the disappearance on Monday night March 27 2006 of Mr Taylor from his residence in Calabar where he was guest of the state Government.
A Press release issued and signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Ufot Ekaette on March 28 named the Panel members as follows:
. Justice Jean Omokiri - Court of Appeal, Calabar - Chairman
. Mr Thomas Shodimu - Retired Commissioner of Police - Member
. Mr Shehu Sani - Representing the Civil Society - Member
. Mr Alfred Sallia Fawundu, UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria - Member, and
. Mr Abba Bello Mohammed - Office of the SGF - Secretary
The Panel has the following Terms of Reference:
. To examine the circumstances of the disappearance of Mr Charles Taylor from his residence in Calabar on Monday night, march 27 2006 with a view to identifying those responsible for his disappearance;
. To ascertain whether he escaped or was abducted;
. To recommend appropriate sanctions against those found culpable; and
. To make any other recommendations that the Panel may consider appropriate in the circumstances.
The Panel, which has two weeks from the date of its inauguration to submit its report will be inaugurated on Thursday March 30 2006 by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Bayo Ojo.
It will be recalled that Mr taylor was escorted to Nigeria in August 2003 by three African Heads of State at the peak of the Liberian civil war as part of initiatives by African and world leaders to halt the killing of civilians, end the civil war and nudge the country back to constitutional democracy.
It was from Presidents Thabo Mbeki (South Africa), Joachim Chissano (Mozambique), the then African Union Chairman and John Kuffour (Ghana) former ECOWAS Chairman that President Obasanjo received the former Liberian leader as guest of the Nigerian Government.
The Nigerian leader emphasised that Mr Taylor was free to leave if a democratically elected Liberian Government requested for him.
A Statement issued by the Nigerian Government on March 25 stated in part:
"Since 2003, the Federal Government of Nigeria has resisted persistent pressures to violate the understanding of 2003 and to deliver Charles Taylor to the Sierra Leone Special court. Rather, the Federal government has insisted that Charles Taylor can only be turned over, on request, to a democratically-elected Government of Liberia at a time that such a Government considers appropriate.
"The request of President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in her letter of 5th March constituted her determination that the time was opportune. With no substantive objection other than timing and continued peace in Liberia raised by those other Heads of State involved in the 2003 arrangement, President Olusegun Obasanjo on March 25 informed President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf that the Government of Liberia is free to take former President Charles Taylor into its custody".
It was while awaiting compliance to this request that Mr Taylor was reported to have disappeared from his residence in Calabar.
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