James Ibori and 751 other Prisoners in UK to be transfered to Nigeria
THE Federal Government has finally signed a Prisoners’ Transfer
Agreement (PTA) with the United Kingdom for the transfer of James Ibori, the former governor of Delta State, with other 751 Nigerians in
British prisons, to complete their jail terms in Nigeria.
Ibori, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison for corruption and money laundering charges at the Southwark Crown Court 9 in London, in April 2012, and has been jailed in the country.
However, the signing of the PTA by both countries means that James Ibori and others would be repatriated to complete their jail terms in Nigeria without a choice.
Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, who received the UK Minister of Justice, Mr Jeremy Wright, in his office, after the agreement was signed by Wright for UK and Nigeria’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, said the bilateral agreement allows the return of prisoners to serve out their sentences in their home country, where both jurisdictions are in agreement.
In addition, the British government has also promised to give the country £1 million [about N280 million] to assist on comprehensive reformation of Nigerian prisons for the comfort of the inmates. About 15,316 Nigerians are in various prisons abroad, with the largest number of 752 serving time in the UK.
Moro also disclosed that an implementation committee, comprising the two, would be put in place immediately, stressing that it was in the mutual interest of both countries that what was agreed on is implemented.
He assured that the Nigerian government, anchored on transformation agenda, would not sign an agreement that it was not prepared to implement. He pledged to do everything within his powers to ensure that the agreement on prisoner exchange becomes effective before the end of this year, now that the agreement has been signed.
“I think that it is in the mutual interest of the two countries that the agreement reached should be implemented to the letter, especially with the kind of traditional historical relationship that Nigeria shares with the United Kingdom, we have no reason to say one thing and do another. This government, anchored on transformation, is desirous of ensuring that we do things very differently from the way we were doing things in the past which have not given us results.” Moro said.
He equally assured the visiting minister that even though Nigeria is grappling with prison congestion, it would not hamper the prisoner exchange, pointing out that already, arrangements have been put in place to reconstruct some of the prisons and provide six new ones, in various locations, for the transfer arrangement and that they are going to be built to international standards and best practices.
On the question of suitability of prisons in Nigeria for the high profile inmates like Ibori, the minister said it was not for the government of Nigeria to glorify any prisoner, saying, “I don’t think there is anything fantastic about somebody who has gone to another country, infracted on the laws of that country and had to be repatriated to serve out the terms.
“But I can assure you that Nigerian prisoners who would be returned to Nigeria would be treated humanely and appropriately reformed and assisted to reintegrate into the larger society.
“Nigeria has designated six prisons for the purpose of prisoners’ transfer. Five prisons whose contracts were awarded in the 80s are now set for completion. We are working on five medium capacity prisons that would meet best practices and international standards that would be used to accommodate the prisoners that would be transferred from some of these countries with whom we enter into any agreement.
However, stories have been flying round that it was majorly because of James Ibori Mr President hurriedly signed the pact.
If we all remember that James Ibori was a loyal friend to the president.
I hope the President won't give him a presidential pardon after some time in Naija prison.
Ibori, who was sentenced to 13 years in prison for corruption and money laundering charges at the Southwark Crown Court 9 in London, in April 2012, and has been jailed in the country.
However, the signing of the PTA by both countries means that James Ibori and others would be repatriated to complete their jail terms in Nigeria without a choice.
Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, who received the UK Minister of Justice, Mr Jeremy Wright, in his office, after the agreement was signed by Wright for UK and Nigeria’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke, said the bilateral agreement allows the return of prisoners to serve out their sentences in their home country, where both jurisdictions are in agreement.
In addition, the British government has also promised to give the country £1 million [about N280 million] to assist on comprehensive reformation of Nigerian prisons for the comfort of the inmates. About 15,316 Nigerians are in various prisons abroad, with the largest number of 752 serving time in the UK.
Moro also disclosed that an implementation committee, comprising the two, would be put in place immediately, stressing that it was in the mutual interest of both countries that what was agreed on is implemented.
He assured that the Nigerian government, anchored on transformation agenda, would not sign an agreement that it was not prepared to implement. He pledged to do everything within his powers to ensure that the agreement on prisoner exchange becomes effective before the end of this year, now that the agreement has been signed.
“I think that it is in the mutual interest of the two countries that the agreement reached should be implemented to the letter, especially with the kind of traditional historical relationship that Nigeria shares with the United Kingdom, we have no reason to say one thing and do another. This government, anchored on transformation, is desirous of ensuring that we do things very differently from the way we were doing things in the past which have not given us results.” Moro said.
He equally assured the visiting minister that even though Nigeria is grappling with prison congestion, it would not hamper the prisoner exchange, pointing out that already, arrangements have been put in place to reconstruct some of the prisons and provide six new ones, in various locations, for the transfer arrangement and that they are going to be built to international standards and best practices.
On the question of suitability of prisons in Nigeria for the high profile inmates like Ibori, the minister said it was not for the government of Nigeria to glorify any prisoner, saying, “I don’t think there is anything fantastic about somebody who has gone to another country, infracted on the laws of that country and had to be repatriated to serve out the terms.
“But I can assure you that Nigerian prisoners who would be returned to Nigeria would be treated humanely and appropriately reformed and assisted to reintegrate into the larger society.
“Nigeria has designated six prisons for the purpose of prisoners’ transfer. Five prisons whose contracts were awarded in the 80s are now set for completion. We are working on five medium capacity prisons that would meet best practices and international standards that would be used to accommodate the prisoners that would be transferred from some of these countries with whom we enter into any agreement.
However, stories have been flying round that it was majorly because of James Ibori Mr President hurriedly signed the pact.
If we all remember that James Ibori was a loyal friend to the president.
I hope the President won't give him a presidential pardon after some time in Naija prison.
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