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The Office of the
Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed
Bello Adoke (SAN), has confirmed the authenticity of the certified true
copy report of the Pius Okigbo Panel, re-submitted to the Federal
Government in Abuja some weeks ago by a group of civil society
organizations.

Mr. Adoke, on
Thursday, affirmed the genuineness of the report in a response made
through his Special Assistant on Media and Special Duties, Onyema
Omenuwa, to NEXT on Sunday correspondent’s enquiry at the Justice
Ministry.

In spite of the
confirmation of the genuineness of the report, the former military
president, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, whom the report seeks to indict
for mismanagement of public funds, said he is undeterred in his resolve
to contest and obtain the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic
Party in 2011.

Justice Minister’s statement

In a letter, dated
May 12, 2010 and addressed to the 10 CSOs working to ensure the
prosecution of former military President, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida on
allegations of mismanaging about $12.4 billion Gulf War oil earnings,
the Attorney General acknowledged the receipt of Okigbo report and
promised to take action on the report.

“As appropriate, I
shall set up a committee that will confirm the authenticity of the said
report and also review the allegations and recommendations contained
therein, with a view to ascertaining whether these allegations can
sustain a criminal charge,” Mr. Adoke wrote.

Signatories to the
petition were the: Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project,
Women Advocates and Documentation Centre, Access to Justice, Committee
for Defence of Human Rights, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre,
Partnership for Justice, Human and Environmental Development Agenda,
Nigeria Liberty Forum, Nigeria Voters Assembly, and Centre for the Rule
of Law.

Mr. Babangida’s reaction

In a response sent
by the Media Assistant to Mr. Babangida, Kassim Afegbua, the former
military President did not only deny being indicted by the report but
he also subjected the authenticity of the report to ambiguity and doubt.

“What the
Attorney-General said in his response to the petition is unambiguous:
that the government will try to ascertain whether that is the true copy
of the Okigbo Report,” he said. “The whole concept of civil society
organizations bringing signed copy of a Federal Government Report to
government raises a lot of curiosity and mischief on the part of the
civil societies. I have not seen a situation where a government will
set up a panel, only for report to be given to it (government) by
unknown bodies.

“Despite all the
clear-cut attempts to rubbish the good name of General Babangida by
this gang of sinuous fawns who want to play the ‘angelic’ role as civil
societies. I am yet to find anywhere in the whole wide world where
these organizations have rendered account of their own grants from
foreign countries in the years of their existence. This is our
challenge to all of them.”

No controversy, no ambiguity

Mr. Adoke, however,
has cleared the air saying there is no misunderstanding, doubt or
controversy, whatsoever; over the authenticity of the report he
received. He added also that there is no ambiguity whatsoever in his
formal response and promise to see how the allegations can sustain
prosecutions.

Asked to clear
whatever ambiguity was inherent in Mr. Adoke’s statement, Mr. Omenuwa,
a lawyer and journalist, said there was no ambiguity in the statement.

“The Minister’s
statement was very clear and unambiguous,” he said. “He promised to set
up a committee that will confirm the authenticity of the report and see
how the allegations could be sustained for a criminal prosecution. If
you were to defend a person as a spokesperson, would you see anything
different to say than argue that the report is not genuine? What is not
genuine about the report?

There is no
ambiguity, whatsoever. It is just a matter of language.” Asked when the
Justice Minister will be inaugurating the committee he promised to set
up on the report, considering especially that Mr. Babangida is already
campaigning for the 2011 presidential election ticket of the Peoples
Democratic Party, Mr. Omenuwa said Mr. Adoke will address the nation as
he has always done once everything is put in the right place.

In spite of the
negative impacts of the challenges on his presidential ambition, Mr.
Babangida has promised to weather the storm; even as he has been
scheduled by his aides to present a state of the nation address at a
summit in Kaduna State on Saturday June 5, 2010, where he will also
unveil his vision for a national rebirth.