Yes, Ribadu Was Here

Comfort Obi

Three things were the high points at the demise of Chief Gani Fawehinmi, SAN. The unprecedented tribute paid to him by Nigerians of all hue was not one of them. Nor even the multitude which thronged his house and everywhere the body was taken to. To me, one of the high points was how Gani’s known prosecutors and persecutors ate their vomit, and shamelessly heaped unprecedented praises on him. That was hypocrisy at its worst level.
The second was Gani’s ability not to conform, even in death. I was on board an 8.30 a.m flight to Abuja when I was informed of Gani’s death. Not to miss his funeral, I decided to come back same day instead of the two-day trip I had planned. As a Muslim, I thought Gani would be buried at about 4.00 p.m same day. So, I took the 2.00 p.m flight back to Lagos, and headed to Gani’s residence on arrival. But along with others, I had under-estimated Gani’s love for the unprecedented. Ganiat, his first wife, is a Christian of the Anglican Communion. And some of his children are Christians. Gani was at home with that. But even then, outside his family, nobody would have dreamt that his body would stay for two weeks, traversing three states – Lagos, Edo and Ondo. And then, buried in a gold-plated casket! Yet, the real high- point was the rubbishing of Nigeria’s security system by former Chairman of the EFCC, Nuhu Ribadu.
When the news of Ribadu’s visit to Nigeria, and subsequent presence at Gani’s residence and the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital mortuary broke, I was at once both shocked and full of admiration for his courage. I mean, here is a man who everybody thought would be picked up at entry point anytime he dared set foot in the country. But there he was, rubbing Nigeria's nose in the mud in a most embarrassing manner. I applaud him and his courage.
Initially, I doubted his visit. I wondered why photographs of such a high profile, even if risky visit were not published. In a short write-up here last week, I asked that photographs of his visit be made public, if indeed he visited. Since then, incontrovertible evidence of his visit have been made public. Whoever took the photographs, obviously, deliberately held onto them for maximum effect. Otherwise, they would have been published the day after his visit, along with the story. But I guess he knew somebody would doubt the visit. He was right. So, as soon as Ogbonna Onovo, the Inspector-General of Police expressed doubt, asking for evidence, he was given an upper-cut with the publication of the photographs. Whenever Onovo writes his autobiography, he would be right to record Ribadu’s visit, and the doubt he expressed, as some of the worst embarrassments of his otherwise fulfilling career. The questions to be asked are many.
How did Ribadu beat the security to enter the country? How did he enter Gani’s residence and stayed for over an hour, discussing with the family, offering assistance now and in the future, and taking photographs? How did he sign the condolence register? How did he go to the mortuary where he stayed for about 15 minutes touching Gani’s body? He was reported to have first visited the chambers of a Lagos lawyer before proceeding to Gani’s place. In deed, he spent the night in a private guest house in Ikeja before sneaking out of the country again. The next question that follows is: Where were security personnel?
I doubt if Ribadu came in through any of Nigeria’s airports. It must have been through our very porous borders with neighbouring countries. So, the first people to blame for this embarrassing security failure is the Nigerian Immigration Services. For years, Nigerians have agonised over this problem. Yet, the government does nothing. Everything “smuggleable” enters Nigeria through the Republic of Benin, Cameroun, Niger Republic, etc. For that, Nigeria loses huge revenue, yearly and the health of our people is threatened, as both the good and bad are deposited in the country. Armed robbers coming in through our borders, operate brazenly, and escape in a blaze of glory. Where were the Immigration officials when Ribadu sneaked in, or don't they know him? This may not be surprising. Some of them may not even know the Comptroller-General of Immigration Services. They are so busy taking money from smugglers, that if it was possible, aeroplanes would be smuggled in through our borders.
The other security apparatti that should be held responsible for this national embarrassment are the scores of State Security Service (SSS) and police personnel who were posted to Gani’s residence and the mortuary area. Where were they when Ribadu visited? A friend of mine tried to rationalise it. Ribadu must have been driven right to the door- steps of Gani’s residence. Plausible. But shouldn’t that have aroused their curiousity? Did he not walk into the house? Or was he driven into the sitting room or bedroom? That was why the Boko Haram sect moved in droves, undetected, unmolested, on the eve of the beginning of the tragedy they wreaked on the nation. That was why militants had the courage to invade the Atlas Cove in Lagos, wreaked havoc, killed our military personnel, and left unmolested. That is how armed robbers and kidnappers and assassins roam the streets, unmolested, day and night. That is how more often than not, the security machinery at our airports don’t work. When they do, some of the staff are too busy asking for money from passengers that they check nothing. If we didn’t know before, Ribadu’s visit confirms that we have little or no security in Nigeria. This is very worrisome. And most important: The government should worry that no citizen is patriotic enough to pick the phone and alert anybody in authority of Ribadu’s presence. The interpretation is that the people either have no faith in the system, or they are so enamoured with Ribadu and his activities.
Finally, in addition to querying Immigration officials at the borders, as we have been told, both the police and SSS authorities should query their men who were posted to Gani’s residence, as this is the latest show of a national embarrassment.