We are deeply appalled by the continued persecutions of our role model and national leader, Chief James Onanefe Ibori by the UK authorities acting in cahoots with some internal enemies of the Niger-Delta who will stop at nothing at betraying anybody in sight for their self-serving, narrow and parochial interests.
We at the Niger-Delta Youth Vanguard for Justice and Equity are very much aware of the grand design by some unscrupulous elements within the political class to see one of the strongest voices of the Niger-Delta struggle completely decimated.
We shall not fold our arms and stand idly to watch this political manipulation that has shamefully taken the full colouration of legal travesty rare its ugly head against a man who has been merely singled out to be a victim of high-wired power play over his steadfast and consistent principles on key political issues
At least, this is the first time we are seeing someone being prosecuted for a second time over the same case for which he has long been wilfully convicted and sentenced.
To say the least, it is most illogical and even legally incongruous to prosecute Chief James Ibori for yet the second time, having being convicted, sentenced and after having long done his time as handed down by the court.
A clear case of double jeopardy with serious undertone at perennially or eternally victimizing and tormenting one man.
The conspiracy theories that has long been touted is getting too loud to be ignored.
It is a common principle in law that he who alleges have the onus of proof.
If Chief James Ibori was prosecuted and sentenced in the UK for laundering monies in their country, so to speak, it is only logical to say that the UK authorities have the full details and know the whereabouts of such funds and must have since placed a lien on them. That means that such funds, if they ever existed, are fully for grab by the UK authorities without Chief James Ibori or anyone else standing on their way. It is theirs for the asking. Q. E. D
Why therefore belabouring a man who should be having a deserved rest and peace to put his life together again after spending grueling years in their captivity over what is already in their possession and custody?
How reasonable is it for you to tell Chief James Ibori to cough out a whopping £101.5million to pay when you have long placed a lien on all that you have purportedly traced to him? Where is he going to get that from and on what basis was that figure arrived at in the first place?
Do you ever in your wildest imagination expect a man to give what he does not have? What a wild goose chase!
If nothing else is behind this, then the mental wellness of Judge Tomlison needs to be subjected to serious clinical interrogations
We at the Niger-Delta Youth Vanguard for Justice and Equity make bold to say that all that are playing out are dirty politics with clear mix of high-wired conspiracy and we caution that it is being taken too far
For the records, the man Chief James Ibori vacated office as Governor close to two decades ago. Since then, he has not occupied any other office and has lived his life very privately since serving out his time in the UK
It is also on record that he has arguably remained the best governor to have run the affairs of Delta State or any state in Nigeria till date as evidenced by myriad of monumental projects he procured for the state while he held sway as governor ; projects that are still standing very tall today after several years of exiting government. Three polytechnics, Colleges of Education, a University Teaching Hospital, College of Health Technology, Massive infrastructural turnaround of Delta State University, monumental bridges, sport stadia, massive rural electrification across the length and breadth of the state to mention but a few. These are projects that were started from the very scratch and which today come across as the only people-oriented projects standing to be counted in the state till date.
We therefore urge the UK authorities in their usual albeit bizarre meddlesomeness to call on the successive governments to account for the deluge of huge allocations that has accrued to the state between 2007 when Chief James Ibori left office and now
Since the UK has inadvertently put on the toga of the undisputed global watchdogs on the internal affairs of nations without restraints , we are calling on them to come and open page by page what transpired in the finances of Delta particularly since Chief Ibori's exit.
They must investigate and prosecute the massive lootings and the drunken and open plundering of state resources by the successive governments which have barely nothing to show for it. Only then can they be seen as been a fair, honest and objective arbiter.
Oh we just heard somebody say that the Chief James Ibori successors didn't hide their jaw-breaking loots in the UK for fear of being taken through the tortuous path of Chief James Ibori
We wish to place on record that this whole persecution of Chief James Ibori, a pan Niger-Delta leader, started at the wake of his very vociferous struggle for a better deal for the people of the Niger-Delta region and that was clearly encapsulated in his famous crusade for Resource Control which did not go down well with certain power blocks in the country.
It still remains a well documented fact that he alongside his fellow compatriots including the then Bayelsa Governor, DSP Alamieyesegha were marked for political annihilation and even possible death. All that happened around DSP Alamieyesegha is still very fresh in our memories.
The gimmicks , the intrigues, the smear and slandering, the blackmails, the humiliations , the betrayal, the conspiracies and gang-ups by kinsmen he was supposedly fighting for and all that happened that culminated in his eventual but unfortunate passage will never be swept away for years to come. DSP ALAMIEYESEGHA sure lives on and will continue to have his pride of place in our hall of fame.
Chief James Ibori being the last man standing must never be allowed to fall under the satanic forces of those unforgiven conspirators with their perennial vested interests and whose only business is to continue to milk the God-given resources of the Niger-Delta dry and mortgage our future to eternity. No matter how much support they enjoy from those sellouts within the Niger-Delta, they shall be stoutly and roundly resisted with the last drop of our blood. Chief James Ibori must be left alone and allowed to live his peaceful life. Enough is enough this moment
The Obasanjos of this world who continues to adorn the full apparel of a saint yet squandered a whopping, mind-bungling $16billion on power and yet Nigeria has continued to remain the darkest nation on earth ever since should hear this . He and his co-travellers including beneficiaries turned traducers back home should steer clear now or we will react further in the fiercest manner no one can imagine
We have all been around in this country for a while and nobody, we repeat nobody especially those within the political class should come out here to say he is as saintly as the angels.
While not in condonation of any act of corruption, this sustained satanic politics against Chief James Ibori must be halted now and now.
He did not do anything differently from those who have been accused of one corruption allegation or the other in this country. There have been plethora of cases where far more huge sums are involved and non have taken these concocted international/global dimensions.
Chief James Ibori is human and we are not here to crave perfection for him
We are only here to let the whole world know that he is a victim of a monstrous power-play of the Nigerian state
We further wish to state that so far in our chequered history as a people, Chief James Ibori has effortlessly come across as one of the most selfless leaders whose indelible imprints in infrastructural renaissance of Delta state and the struggle for a better deal for the Niger Delta region can never be wished away by anyone including those who will stop at nothing in tormenting him for their selfish personal gain
God bless Chief James Ibori
God bless the Niger-Delta region
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria
Sign
1. Senior Comr. James Ufuomanefe Isiosio.... National Coordinator
2. Comr. Ajiri-Oghene Wesley... National Secretary
3. Comr. Mrs. Ofotokun Rosemary... National Women Leader
4. Comr. Ewharieme Gregrey.... National Publicity Secretary
5. Comr. Philip Okorodiden ... National Organizing Secretary
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6. Egboro Lucky..... National Welfare Secretary
7. Comr. Mrs. Okubolayefa Laura E.... Deputy National Women Leader
8. Barr. Odiase Aigbogun... National Legal Adviser
9. Comr. Omene Sunday... Chairman, BOT
10. Comr. Diamond Efeturhi Jolly.... Secretary, BOT
11. Comr. Favour
Ubiovero... Deputy National Organizing Secretary
12. Comr. Toritsewemi Temisan.... Deputy National Secretary
13. Comr. Nwabueze M. Philemon
Deputy National welfare Secretary
14. Comr. Ighere Andrew
Trustee
15.Comr. Peremobowei Dombraye... Trustee
16. Mr. Otuya Victor.... Group Media Consultant
