24 November 2008
Lagos — Condemnations last night trailed the way and manner former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, was prevented from graduating from the Senior Executive Course 30 at the Nigerian Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos last Saturday.
Security operatives had prevented Ribadu from taking part in the graduation ceremony at NIPSS by forcing him out of the venue of the ceremony.
Condemning the reported assault, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said having successfully completed the Senior Management Course and listed amongst graduands by the institute, there was no legal or moral justification for denying Ribadu the opportunity to take part in the graduation ceremony.
In a statement last night by its President, Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), NBA said if the Federal Government had any genuine reason to prevent Ribadu from attending the programme, the decision should have been conveyed to him and NIPSS authorities in a civilised manner.
NBA said: "The action of the authorities by matching Mr. Ribadu out of the hall when the guests were already seated amounted to nothing but barbarism in the extreme. We condemn this very mean action which has exposed the Federal Government and its democratic pretension to ridicule. We call on all well-meaning Nigerians to join hands with the NBA in confronting barbaric ideas in whatever guise."
The association said it was aware that Ribadu had dragged the authorities to court over his demotion from Assistant Inspector-General of Police to Deputy Commissioner of Police and had also sought refuge in the court for the protection of his fundamental rights.
"While both matters are pending in court none of the parties to the disputes should be allowed by law to take the law into his hands or resort to self help," NBA said.
The umbrella association of Nigerian lawyers also took a swipe at President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's regime for repeatedly taunting the rule of law as its mantra "when it should at least make efforts to ensure that all security agencies are restrained from engaging in the violations of the rights of Nigerians."
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and Human Right Writers Association (HURIWA) also described the treatment meted out to Ribadu as barbaric, adding that it was the height of executive lawlessness and arbitrariness.
Their reactions were contained in separate statements yesterday by CNPP and HURIWA.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Osita Okec-hukwu, the CNPP said: "The barbaric exclusion of Mallam Ribadu from a course he duly completed and passed is a big deficit of the rule of law mantra of President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's regime.
"The exclusion exposed the inefficiency, inconsistency and clueless nature of the Yar'Adua regime; otherwise what on earth prompted them to send Ribadu to the course in the first place or prevented them from stopping him, when he was unlawfully demoted?
"A sane regime could have from the onset (outset) decided to out rightly dismiss Ribadu or transfer him back to the Force Headquarters, to avoid unnecessary embarrassment to the nation.
"The doctrine of rule of law is predicated on the equality of persons before the law and not arbitrary application of law. Mallam Nuhu Ribadu like many officers including the Inspector General of Police Mike Okiro at one time or the other was promoted above their course mates; and like President Yar'Adua, Ribadu was a beneficiary of ex-president, Chief Olu-segun Obasanjo's prebendalism. It is on this premise that Ribadu anchors his law suit."
HURIWA said in its own statement by Emmanuel Onwubiko that though the Federal High Court held the view that Ribadu should honour EFCC's invitation, the court did not order his illegal abduction from the venue of a graduation ceremony.
The group said it was to the credit of Ribadu and his lieutenants that a former governor and former Inspector-General of Police were prosecuted and convicted for various anti-graft offences.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) condemned the action, describing President Yar'Adua's rule of law stance as a mirage.
In a statement signed by the Kaduna State Secretary of CAN, Reverend Joseph Hayap, the association noted that the confrontation between Ribadu and security operatives at the venue of the graduation was an unfortunate situation that signalled the limit of anti-corruption campaign in Nigeria and posed a threat to commitment of other Nigerians to truthfully serve the nation in future.
CAN said: "What happened there in the presence of a visiting president is unfortunate and a big embarrassment and a very serious blow to the integrity of the institution - said to be a pinnacle and foundation of intellectual base of our development."
Human rights activist, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, also decried Ribadu's harassment, saying the situation depicts lack of respect for decorum and due process.
According to Aturu, Ribadu's bitter experience at the moment reveals the commitment of the government to punish Ribadu for daring to bring certain so-called powerful men to book in his days as EFCC boss.
Describing the hostility against Ribadu as condemnable, Aturu who alleged that there were mafias in power called on well-meaning Nigerians to rise against the trend, saying the "dubious lesson" of Ribadu's experience "is that it is just not possible to fight the cabal and that if you do so, they will come after you."
Meanwhile, a civil society organistion, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has petitioned the Special Rapportuer on human rights defenders in Africa of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, expressing what it called "serious concerns" over unlawful arrest and detention of the former EFCC Chairman.
The organization also urged the agency to urgently intervene in this matter to ensure Ribadu's immediate release and to stop further attacks on him.
In a petition signed by SERAP's Executive Director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, and addressed to Madame Reine ALAPINI-GANSOU, the organization stated that Ribadu was reportedly forcefully dragged out of the hall of NIPSS by the security forces during a graduation ceremony.
The group said: "The unlawful arrest and detention of a human rights and anticorruption campaigner raises doubts about the willingness of the government of Nigeria to fight corruption and to uphold its good faith obligations to its citizens, including under the UN Convention against Corruption, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.
Meanwhile, the Attorney-General and the Minister of Justice of the Federation, Chief Mike Aondoakaa, has denied involvement in the manhandling of Ribadu.
Reports had accused him of orchestrating and implementing the plan to embarrass the former EFCC chairman, but he denied the accusation last night, insisting that he was at the event like any other guest and had nothing to do with the incident.
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Why won't the developed countries humilate and look down on Africans as well as her leaders? when we can afford to downgrade and humilate ourselves.as the rest of the world looks on it's cristal clear the president and his fellow thugs / thieves are bent on humilating Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.for standing up to some of those that has milk nigeria dry. Mr president tell the public the direction you're leading our nation dem all crazy ? or true democracy ? please Mr.president leave Mr. M.N.Ribadu alone so far his the pride of africans and nigeria at the moment.incase you are in doubt please visit europe and America here M.N.Ribadu is highly respect than you and your fellow thugs.
Tonyogbe, Belgium.
Injustice to one individual (whether you like him/her or not), is injustice to all. People at the helm of corruption (that Baba never liked) are now settling scores with Ribadu for exposing them to shame. It is a known fact that Ribadu (often times) over-riched and in an over-zealous way did not allow the rule of law to prevail in trying to get some of these dishonest rascals brought to justice. That in itself is not justification for the arm of justice not to prevail in his case. Two wrongs do not make a 'right'. 'The quality of the pudding is in the eating'. Let President Y'ar Adua show us all that he is serious about anti-graft (as I believe he is)by intervening (through his attorney-General who is sworn to the protection of not only the rule of law, but also the preservation of the human rights and dignity of Nigerian citizens and not just that of a privileged few. Ribadu (through the respect for his guaranteed constitutional rights as a Nigerian citizen) must be accorded that basic rights he often-times ignored to grant some of his victims. The President and the Attorney-General must act with reckless abandom to stop this mad,ruthless, reckless and uncivilized abuse of the law by Law-enforcement(I mean Law-abusing) 'Agents' just as they intervened in the case of Lyle Imoke. The civilized world is anxiously watching, my dear honorable President. I have always admired your honesty, integrity, and sincerity. You can not fail us now at this hour of reckoning. You owe this deed to not only Nigeria but also to the rest of the civilized community of nations to which this great nation of ours (called Nigeria - the Giant of Africa) subscribed to. And let this be a very eye-opening lesson for many of our very corrupt, reckless and wicked 'leaders' in power today that the law they abuse today, may hold the precedence (as always used in the court of civilized law)with which they may be wrongly convicted in the future when they are no longer in power. 'History is always the best teacher and always has a way of repeating itself'. Long live my President, Long live Nigeria!
Injustice to one individual (whether you like him/her or not), is injustice to all. People at the helm of corruption (that Baba never liked) are now settling scores with Ribadu for exposing them to shame. It is a known fact that Ribadu (often times) over-riched and in an over-zealous way did not allow the rule of law to prevail in trying to get some of these dishonest rascals brought to justice. That in itself is not justification for the arm of justice not to prevail in his case. Two wrongs do not make a 'right'. 'The quality of the pudding is in the eating'. Let President Y'ar Adua show us all that he is serious about anti-graft (as I believe he is)by intervening through his attorney-General (who is sworn to the protection of not only the rule of law, but also the preservation of the human rights and dignity of Nigerian citizens and not just that of a privileged few). Ribadu (through the respect for his guaranteed constitutional rights as a Nigerian citizen) must be accorded that basic rights he often-times ignored to grant some of his victims. The President and the Attorney-General must act with reckless abandon to stop this mad, ruthless, reckless and uncivilized abuse of the law by Law-enforcement(I mean Law-abusing) 'Agents' just as they intervened in the case of Lyle Imoke. The civilized world is anxiously watching, my dear honorable President. I have always admired your honesty, integrity, and sincerity. You can not fail us now at this hour of reckoning. You owe this deed to not only Nigeria but also to the rest of the civilized community of nations to which this great nation of ours (called Nigeria - the Giant of Africa) subscribed to. And let this be a very eye-opening lesson for many of our very corrupt, reckless and wicked 'leaders' in power today that the law they abuse today, may hold the precedence (as always used in the court of civilized law) with which they may be wrongly convicted in the future when they are no longer in power. 'History is always the best teacher and always has a way of repeating itself'. Long live my President, Long live Nigeria!
King Yar and his minnows, a la, Woziri (Mrs. "Nobody can unseat me but Ribadu himself"), Andoaakaa, Okiro and all the fake Judges, etc, forgot to factor in that the 40-something year old Mr. Ribadu could be Nigeria's next President sooner than they think. They've just confirmed him as a Nigerian hero (that he has been since OBJ called him to power - the kind of positive power we need in Nigeria today) and it is our decision to make - in due time. Caveat: If anything untoward happens to Mr. Ribadu between now and then, we know who to hold responsible - ............the center WILLNOT not hold, as Achebe would say.
I am perfectly in support of NBA. The action of the Authority is very barbaric. This is not a credit to any process of demecracy. This kind of action is not only downgrading the process of democracy but in additon insulting its' highest authority, the President. I will however like to see the President's reaction. Thank you.