New York, December 31, 2007---Information from Nigeria indicate that the masses are brazing for the worse with the purge of the head of the national agency fighting corruption and other financial crimes, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Religious Nigerians are reportedly flocking to churches, mosques and animist shrines praying fervently for divine intervention and fearing that the nation’s war against corruption has been derailed.

Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, the Executive Chairman and Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, the Director of Operations were recently removed by Nigeria President Umaru Yar’Adua and sent on suspicious compulsory study leave against the wish of the masses, according to news reports from Nigeria.

Mr. Ribadu was reportedly sent on one-year advanced course at the Nigeria Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru in Jos, Plateau State. While Mr. Lamorde, according to news report, is to proceed on a one-year Senior Officers’ course at the Police College, Jos, Plateau State, the authorities had denied.

Both officers drafted from the Nigeria Police Force have been very effective in leading Nigeria’s war against corruption by arresting and prosecuting some very senior government officials. Their leadership had gained the trust, recognition and admiration from most Nigerians and the international community.

In attempt to calm people’s fears, Nigerian government via the Police Inspector General had been explaining that the 1-year compulsory study leave “was not aimed at forestalling the prosecution of high profile corrupt public officers”, but rather, “a routine training programme fashioned out for certain category of public servants, aimed at improving their level of professional proficiency”. Very few are buying the government explanations, though.

However, corrupt Nigerian leaders, businessmen and women both Nigerians and foreigners very uncomfortable with the work of the anti-corruption agency and who had reportedly been scheming to remove the leadership, dilute their work, reduce their powers or have the agency dissolved, appear to have eventually won a battle.

Most Nigerians fear that President Yar’Adua who upon getting into office announced that he is a Servant-Leader had succumbed to intense pressure from the forces of darkness by removing the heads of the anti-corruption agency. The election that produced him has been called fraudulent by Nigerians and international community.

Most people still wonder in disbelief why President Yar’Adua would shot himself in very fragile leg because the effectiveness of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is one of the very few good things that make the international bodies to express confidence in the nation’s democratic process and its fight against corruption.

The agency had arrested many big people, including former Police Inspector-General, Mr. Tafa Balogun; Diepreye Alameyieseigha, former governor of Bayelsa State; Chimaroke Nnamani, the former governor of Enugu State; James Ibori, the former governor of Delta State, Orji Uzor Kalu, former governor of Abia State; Saminu Turaki, former governor of Jigawa State;  Jolly Nyame, former governor of Taraba State;  Joshua Dariye, former governor of Plateau State; Ayo Fayose, former governor of Ekiti state,  so many others including lawmakers, cabinet officials, lawyers and businessmen, while a lot more bigger ‘shots’ remain under heavy investigations.

No doubt, the efforts and the guts of the agency under able leadership terrify all corrupt politicians and businessmen and women, Nigerians and foreigners alike.

Meanwhile, more facts have emerged on why President Yar’Adua succumbed to the removal of the crime fighting team.

According to Punch, a reputable Nigerian national newspaper, reliable reports indicate that their removal was a result of pressure from some former governors, former leadersand hardliners who were said to have blackmailed the President to give consent.

“The highly placed source added that some of the people, especially those who worked very closely with Yar‘Adua, had threatened to go after the President if he did not yield to their demands.”

The source said,”These people are desperate, and their desperation seems have been heightened by the recent arrests and prosecution of some former governors, who had been influential to his coming into power.”

“What is happening in Aso Rock is a last-minute big conflict and what we hear is that Yar‘Adua is now under blackmail to fire the EFCC chairman or they go after him. The question now is will he take a stand or keep prevaricating?”

He added, “These people have also warned the President that if he does not remove Ribadu soon, the EFCC boss might turn around and disgrace him. Of course, the Kuru angle is just a new plank in the old effort to checkmate Ribadu.”

Some of the governors arrested by EFCC have openly flaunted their friendship and sponsorship of the President Yar’Adua’s disputed and condemned ‘election’ to office.

However, there are unconfirmed indication that Nigerian President may had received flood of petitions against the leadership of EFCC orchestrated by those who want them outand that some of those petitions may be very damaging. According to high and reliable sources, “based on the content of the petitions, study leave for the EFCC leadership is actually nothing but very benevolent ‘soft-landing’ while the government investigates the allegations. There may be some shocking surprises. These EFCC boys are Nigerians, remember that”, said the source.

There were also widespread allegations that the anti-corruption agency was used by former President Obasanjo to harass, intimidate and silence political foes and that clear cases of corruption involving former President Obasanjo, his aides and cronies were not acted upon by the agency. Therefore for real war against corruption to commence, the biased compromised leadership had to go.

In fairness to all, though some of these allegations appear valid, majority of Nigerians nonetheless give kudos to the anti-corruption agency for courage, efforts, results and opening and raising the public awareness on the level of corruption and looting of public treasury going on in the country. No other agency had been able to achieve those feats. However, the supporters of EFCC argue that it will be impossible for the agency to be able to act on Obasanjo and his cronies when he was still in power. They argue that now Obasanjo has gone is proper time to go after his looting cronies.

The removal of leadership at Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency has divided Nigerians at the homeland and Nigeria international community, a.k.a. ‘Nigerians abroad’. That division was displays at a new popular spot in New York City as those supporting EFCC had branded themselves ‘The Patriots’, while those supporting the corrupt politicians call themselves ‘The Naijas’ and ‘The Realistic Nigerianas/ Nigerianers’ engaged in very feisty  oral combat from their solidly entrenched positions. The owner of the spot had to invite the security agents to ensure there was no outbreak of Nigeria ‘civil-war’ in the ‘Big Apple’.

Another group, though very insignificant in number calling themselves ‘The Neutral Progressives’ scolded both the warring ‘Patriots’ and ‘Naijas, Realistic Nigerianas/ Nigerianers’, “relax, you don’t know Yar’Adua. All corrupt people, both present and past, including uniformed and civilians will see pepper under Yar’Adua government; more heads will roll and that is part of the real war on corruptions; President Yar’Adua is cleaning house to begin unbiased and unhindered war; watch what will happen”.