Coalition Calls On FG To Return Ibori Looted And Recovered Funds To Delta State

The Grassroot Development and Peace Initiative has called on the Federal Government to return Ibori and recovered funds to Delta State.

In a press release on Monday jointly signed by the Coalition National Coordinator, Comrade Kalu Victor and National Secretary, Dr. Nwokolo Peter, they said that the Federal Government should immediately set the necessary machinery in motion, with a view to constituting a committee of Federal and Delta State Government officials to discuss ways and means of giving back the looted funds to the Government and people of Delta State, once the funds are returned to the country.

Excerpt is the full text of the press release:

The Grassroot Development and Peace Initiative, is a Corporate Affairs Commission registered and certified coalition of reputable independent civil society groups and progressive men and women from across the country, with a shared vision & mandate to help protect citizens Rights, advance the course of democracy & good governance while articulating positions, that can help foster unity amongst Nigerians, from across the political spectrum.

As you are well aware, there’s an ongoing controversy, surrounding the return of £4.2m said to have been laundered by a former Governor of Delta State & which is now a subject of debate, over who gets the money between the Federal Govt & Delta State, who are indeed, the victim, from where the said funds were laundered in the first place.
The coalition decided to lend its voice over the matter, because it is our considered view, that justice and equity are the bedrock upon which society and nations thrive and prosper and that democracy can only survive, where rule of law and order prevails.
Chief James Ibori was the Governor of Delta State between 1999 to 2007, during which the said funds developed wings & flew to Britain, surreptitiously, aided & abated by some British banks & other individuals
After years of painstaking investigation & litigations, during which the former Governor had served time in a British jail, it is only natural that having exhausted all legal measures & agreement reached between the Federal Govt & its British counterparts, the question of who gets the fund should no longer be a subject of controversy, since it has been established, that the funds in question was diverted by an elected Governor of a State & that the funds were proceeds of the Delta State Government.
The ongoing debate on the constitutionality of where the returned funds should go, speaks to the root of our lopsided democratic practices which in most cases, is observed in breach of all its tenets and principles.
If indeed, Nigeria practices a constitutional Federal democracy, where all its federating States are autonomous, perhaps, the issue at hand, would have been resolved without the undue rancour it is presently generating.
The Attorney General of the Federation, Alh. Abubakar Mallami signing a Memorandum of Understanding with the British Government in a matter that concerns Delta State, without a representative of the Delta State Govt especially the Attorney General of Delta State in this context, is absolutely wrong as it shows a lack of regard & respect by the Federal Govt towards the people of Delta State.
The explanation given by the Hon Attorney General & Minister of Justice, Alhaji Abubakar Malami, flies in the face of several legal positions articulated by other senior lawyers from across the length & breath of the country. If the Government & people of Delta State, whose funds were diverted for personal use in far away Britain by one of its elected executive Governor & who has since been tried & sentenced to a jail term & has served out his time, why then would the proceeds of the long drawn litigations not be returned to the same source from where it was taken in the first instance?
If a man stole my money & takes it to a distant land, where a friend or brother uncovers the loot & indeed, takes every legal measure to recover the stolen money, does he then turn around to lay claim to the recovered funds & even goes ahead to dictate how he disburses the fund, even without my consent and excluding me entirely in his planed disbursement of the money?
As elementary as this position may appear, it illustrates the moral burden that the Federal Government bears on the Ibori loot.
As Civil Society groups, we therefore make the following demand as our position:
1. His Excellency, Chief James Ibori was a Governor in Delta State and worked for the people of the State in particular, therefore, any money looted during his time and recovered should be returned to Delta State as the company where he worked and not the Federal government who never employed him and he never worked for.
2. The former President, Sani Abacha, worked for the Federal government as Head of State and all his recovered loots has always gone back to the Federal government coffers without any State Government or individual questioning it. Therefore, it is also morally, logically and legally right for Ibori’s recovered loot to go back to Delta State where he worked as a governor during which time, the said money was looted.
3. The Federal Government should immediately set the necessary machinery in motion, with a view to constituting a committee of Federal & Delta State Government officials to discuss ways & means of giving back the looted funds to the Government & people of Delta State, once the funds are returned to the country.
4. That if there are legal costs that may have accrued in the course of pursuing the return of the funds as claimed by the Attorney General of the Federation, deductions should be made from the substantive amount, after thorough scrutiny, to ensure that the process was transparent & foolproof.
5. The Attorney General of the Federation, Alh. Abubakar Mallami should wisely advise the Federal Govt, to tow the path of peace in resolving the issue while giving due respect and value to the people of Delta State, without pushing them to undue confrontation or litigation against the Federal Government.
6. The decision of the Federal Government to divert Delta State funds to Federal Government Projects, that has no direct bearing to the lives of the people of the State is totally condemnable and unacceptable, as it is not only a violation of their rights but also a total disregard/non recognition of its it’s people as a vital component of the Nigerian Federation, which will likely lead to mistrust against the Federal government.
President Muhmmadu Buhari as the father of all and for all, should as a matter of national importance, do the needful and call the Attorney General of the Federation to order.
• The Attorney General of Delta State, should as a matter of peace building and amicable resolution of the issues, visit the Attorney General of the Federation and discuss possible ways of mutual accommodation and understanding in settling the matter without recourse to public spat, as we also request that the Attorney General of the Federation should see this crucial visit as an honour to his person, his office and the federal government of Nigeria by Delta state government for peace building and conflict resolution mechanism in this critical.matter.
We as a community development driven coalition of civil society groups, also committed to ensuring that a beautiful brand of democracy that respects the rule of law and the Constitutional rights of citizens becomes a national ethos. We are therefore, watching the situation closely to ensure Federal Government’s compliance to our demands for mutual peace and national accommodation.
Recommendation:
1. A legal framework must now be put in place to ensure that, going forward, such unnecessary controversy do not rear its head next time, when faced with the same circumstances.
2. Both Federal & State Governments now & in the future, must have an oversight committee to ensure, that returned funds are not relooted & that the returned loot is prudently & judiciously utilized for the benefit of the entire citizenry especially the State concerned.
3. Machineries must be put in place, to discourage & make it impossible for Government officials at all levels, to deep their filthy hands into our common patrimony & siphon same overseas.
Corruption must be tamed in all its ramifications & only well constituted & strong institutions can deliver a death knell to this ugly monster, that has continued to rear its ugly head in our body polity.
The fight against corruption must be the collective responsibility of both Government & the citizenry.
This is the only way, that Nigeria can take its rightful place within the comity of nations.
A stitch in time, they say, saves nine.