Emma Amaize
27 August 2008
A NIGER-Delta youth activist and president of the Federated Niger-Delta Ijaw Communiites (FNDIC), Chief Bello Oboko was arrested and thrown into the Atlanta Central jail, in the United States for 10 hours and later deported back to Nigeria on August 23 by American security agents because of his role in the Niger-Delta struggle and other matters.
The FNDIC in a statement, signed by its secretary general, Kingsley Otuaro and chief adviser, Dan Ekpebide, entitled, "America takes Chief Oboko hostage" said, "On Friday, August 22, 2008 at about 11:45am, Chief Oboko Bello took off aboard a Delta Airline Flight at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, Nigeria to the United States on the invitation of the University of Rhode Island , USA and arrived Atlanta , US at about 1300hrs on 23 August, 2008."
"Chief Oboko Bello, President of the Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities (FNDIC), among 22 youth leaders of the Niger Delta were bound to the United States of America, with the support of Chevron-Texaco Nigeria Ltd. and the Foundation for Ethnic Harmony (FEHN), for training in nonviolence at the Centre for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, University of Rhode Island, USA.
"On arrival at the US, President George Bush's homeland, security purportedly conducting routine check on traveling documents singled out Chief Oboko Bello and whisked him away to the Bureau of Custom and Border Protection. Rather than on the purported irregularities in his traveling documents, he was quizzed from an already prepared 3-page questionnaire bordering on issues on Chief Oboko Bello's religion and link of the Ijaw with the war in Iraq, Afghanistan and the crisis in Nigeria 's Niger Delta.
"After expediently signing withdrawal forms of his visa granted in Nigeria and acting on the orders of some authority, President Bush's homeland security subsequently threw Chief Oboko Bello into the Atlanta Central Jail, a Maximum Prison in Cell No. 204 for 10 hours, without finding anything incriminationg before sending him back to Nigeria via a Delta Airline plane which took off at about 1700hrs on 23/08/08 and arrived Lagos, Nigeria at 1000hrs 24/08/08.
"Our interpretation of the scenario is that President George Bush's homeland security took Chief Oboko Bello hostage and jailed him without due process. He was therefore prevented from taking part in 14-day nonviolence training for which he was invited. We will provide details of the development in due course," the group said.
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Come on now, seriously you people should know how hard it is for us here in the states with gas prices out of control and families suffering because of it. How is it that a powerful group like that don't have a strong negotiater? Then traveling without a lawyer, which by the way...I'm married to a Nigerian lawyer who's now running for office in Apapa...Oladipo Soyode grandson of the SAGE, I'll send you wedding pictures at your request if you like. Long story short, I use to watch how customs intimidated him when visiting me here in the states and he is a lawyer for pete's sake. How did this guy travel without a lawyer being Nigeria's most wanted??? Being a strong supporter of Bush and his policies and a Republican my whole life believing...I was deeply in love with that man and I still am till this day married him thinking it would be easier to travel and get through customs...not so. I love Nigeria and have done good work there for survivors of polio.