What would soon happen to Nuhu Ribadu, former Executive Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, was predicted on Monday, 3 November by his team of seven lawyers, led by Tayo Oyetibo (SAN). That was during one of the hearings of the case before Justice Abdullahi Mustapha, filed by the former EFCC boss. Oyetibo informed the judge that Ribadu, who had sweated to succeed, might not be allowed to graduate at the Nigerian Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS, adding that it was on that basis that he filed a motion on notice for an interim injunction to restrain Ribadu’s enemies from carrying out this plan. A week earlier, Ribadu asked the Federal High Court in Lagos to put on hold, plans by Mike Okiro, the Inspector-General of Police, to redeploy him as a Deputy Commissioner of Police
The lawyer’s prediction came to pass on 22 November, when Ribadu’s dream of graduating from NIPSS was, at the last minute, aborted. Apart from being ordered to leave the graduation hall, based on orders from above, he was arrested by security agents who also harrassed members of his family.
Dr. Adamu Fika, NIPSS acting Director of Studies, explained that, although 65 people participated in the Senior Executive Course 30, two of them would not be graduating. They were Ribadu and Mr. Deinbo Briggs, a staff of NIPSS, who had a case of camera theft, hanging over his head.
Ribadu’s travails have been generating criticisms. A rights group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, condemned his persecution and wrote a protest letter to the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights in Gambia. The organisation’s letter was signed by its Executive Director, Mr. Adetokunboh Mumuni, and addressed to the Special Rapporteurs on Human rights defender in Africa, Madame Reine ALAPINI-GANSOU. It urged the commission to “urgently intervene in this matter to ensure his immediate release and to stop further attacks, unlawful arrest and harassment of a prominent anti-corruption campaigner and human rights defender”. Chief Gani Fawehinmi, Mr. Femi Falana, other human rights lawyers and prominent Nigerians criticised the federal government over the development.
However, there must be reasons why some people hate Ribadu so much. That is what we expose in our cover story this week.
*************************************
In this edition, we publish an exclusive interview with Alhaji Ghali Na’Abba, a former Speaker, House of Representatives. In the interview, Na’Abba opposes the so-called Government of National Unity, an arrangement which he saw as exposing the All Nigeria People’s Party as opportunistic. He predicted that the People’s Democratic Party, his own party, will eventually crumble.
Comment