Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)

New York, August 30, 2007—Africans In America News Watch investigation has received unconfirmed reports that retrogressive forces and enemies of corrupt-free Nigeria occupying various positions in Yar’Adua government may be behind the carefully woven and well-orchestrated high-level plot to ‘force’ the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu out of office.

This may have informed the reason behind the recent memo the Nigeria Attorney General and Minister of Justice sent to the President of Nigeria Umaru Yar’Adua seeking control of all Nigeria’s anti-graft agencies, especially the right to prosecute suspects, thereby invariably reducing the power and potency of those agencies.

According to sources within circles of former and present leaders of Nigeria, the brain behind the plot include former government officials who are uncomfortable with the direction the EFCC which is the most effective  of all the anti-corruption agencies, is taking the nation’s war against corruption.  The point-man for this very clandestine operation was said to be a former governor with unlimited access to the highest level of the past and present government of Nigeria.

It is not quite clear whether the country’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice was fully aware of this gland plot, but the fact that he was a private attorney for some of the corrupt governors being probed by the anti-corruption agency prior to this present government appointment coupled with his swift attempt to take control of the anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria raise a lot of questions.

Former President Chief Matthew Aremu Okikiola Olusegun Obasanjo and his friend former Governor James Ibori

It is also not quite clear whether the country’s very powerful and influential Bar Association, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) was privy of this plot, however, the visit of high-level official of the organization to the country’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice urging him to take control of all the anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria is raising a lot of eyebrows.

More worrisome is the revelation that while some of these powerful interest were networking Nigerian justice ministry and the presidency to derail the war on corruption, another set led by a former governor currently under-probe was meeting with the high-level official of the anti-corruption agency and encouraging him to resign in protest or anger to save his integrity. The former governor reportedly ‘advised’ the anti-corruption chief’ to resign because the Attorney General and Minister of Justice is in cohort with all the corrupt politicians he was investigating and that soon the Attorney General and Minister of Justice will let those politicians off the hook thereby leaving him at their mercy.

More worrisome also is the revelation that the corrupt former government officials have people planted in the office of the President of Nigeria, in the Ministry of Justice, law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies.

Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). Senior aide to Nigeria President Yar’Adua and the ‘new Sheriff in town’.

Most worrisome is the fact that Nigerian President Umaru Yar’Adua unknowingly actually fall into this plot and gave the approval to reduce the power of anti-corruption agencies, however, he quickly somersaulted and reversed himself when seasoned aides and administrators led by Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) intervened.

The Yar’Adua Presidency was thoroughly embarrassed and peoples confidence were shaken. The fact that the former corrupt officials have such hold and influence over President Umaru Yar’Adua’s government is alarming, unsettling and definitely worrisome.

There is need for clinical investigation to ‘cleanse and weed out the bad seeds’ from the corridors of government and put the war against corruption into high gear.