People have condemned the celebration in some places over the release of a former Governor James Ibori from prison in UK.
Deltans celebrate the release of former Nigerian fraudster, James Ibori
Some Nigerians on Thursday expressed displeasure with the
celebration of the release of James Ibori, a former Delta Governor, from
a prison in London. They said that such celebration was condemnable,
unfortunate and uncalled for. The former governor of Delta was on
Wednesday released from prison in London, U.K.
Ibori was jailed in 2012, two years after he was arrested by the
Interpol in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, where he was hiding after
fleeing Nigeria.
He was sentenced to 13 years in prison by Southwark Crown Court on
April 17, 2012 after pleading guilty to 10-count charge of money
laundering and conspiracy to defraud.
In spite of his guilty plea and conviction for corruption, his
kinsmen at Oghara and other Urhobo communities in the Delta, however,
turned the affair to a carnival as they lined up major streets dancing.
There was wild jubilation in Delta following the news of the release of the former governor.
A retired teacher, Mr Augustine, said it was unfortunate that some
Nigerians celebrated criminals and those who contributed to the bad
situation of the country.
He said, “It’s a shame that we are celebrating those who had
contributed the increased unemployment rate in the country, lack of
healthcare services, dwindling standard of education and failed
democracy among other challenges.
“Until we start to change our ways and mindset, we will continue to wallow in our problems in the nation.”
In his views, Mr. Sesan Adeleye, a businessman, said such
jubilation showed that politicians had successfully brainwashed some
citizens with ill-gotten wealth.
He said, “The problem of some Nigerians is a clear case of
poverty of the mind. We value wealth so much. They are not even bothered
about why he went to prison.
“They are already waiting for him to come back so that he can continue to distribute ill-gotten money to them.
“They don’t even care that the money stolen was meant for their welfare and development.”
Also, Dr Edewede Iyamu, a private physician, said that the
celebration over Ibori’s release was uncalled for as he also contributed
to the pervasively poor and under developed state of the Niger Delta.
She said, “Those from Niger Delta continue to blame the Federal
Government for the challenges confronting their region, whereas, people
like Ibori should be held responsible.
“It is sad that people from that region are now celebrating him.”
A Lagos-based legal practitioner, Mr. Adekunle Aribisala, said
something must be done to stop the celebration of criminality in the
country as it was becoming rampant.
Aribisala also expressed worry that it would not be easy for the
Western community to release the money in question — 18 million Pounds —
to the Nigerian government.
He said, “We had the same situation when Chief Bode George and
Mr. Hamza Al-Mustapha were released too, now it’s Ibori. I feel really
ashamed as a Nigerian.
“We do not need people like that in our society any longer. They need to be isolated so they don’t corrupt more people.”
In her opinion, Alhaja Aishe Jelil, a civil servant, said the
future of the youth who were being used by politicians called for
concern.
She said, “We seem to have lost our values in this society, I
wonder what the future holds for our future generations. They are
celebrating Ibori because they consider him a hero and a role mode.”
-NAN
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