THE
RAID
Biafra Nigeria World News today published
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BNW Congressman William Jefferson and Atiku Abubakar
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a report by the Washington Post that the home of Vice
President Atiku Abubakar of Nigeria had been raided by the Federal Bureau of Investigations
(FBI). That report was very brief regarding the details of the raid. However, other sources have since reported that the raid was conducted as part of an ongoing investigation
in the business dealings of Congressman William Jefferson, the Democratic Representative from New Orleans.
According to sources, the FBI was investigating
a telecom deal that Jefferson
was trying to put together in Nigeria
over the past year. Federal subpoenas and search warrants whose contents have been made
public indicate that the FBI is investigating numerous business entities and individuals believed to be involved
in the deal to bring high-speed broadband service to Nigeria.
It has been reported that Jefferson has been the central figure in gathering investors, and going so far as to manage to keep the deal
together when it would have fallen apart.
On August 3, 2005, the FBI finally raided Jefferson's home in New Orleans
and his office, car and home in Washington, D.C. According to the Washington
Post, agents discovered large sums of money in Jefferson�s freezer during the raid, a raid which was the result of yearlong
investigation into alleged embezzlement of hundreds of thousands of dollars taken from a Northern Virginia high-tech company.
FBI agents were also looking for information
regarding Jefferson�s role in
finding investors for the deal to bring broadband to Nigeria. It has been revealed that Kentucky-based iGate Corp planned to test
its product in Nigeria. The FBI was reportedly
searching for documents relating to this deal, as they sought to establish a connection between Jefferson and the
Nigerian government-owned telephone company, NITEL.
Thus, the FBI raided Atiku�s mansion at Sorrel, and Atiku's wife, Mrs. Jennifer Jemila Douglas Abubakar now finds herself headed
back freightfully headed back to Nigeria.
THE
WIFE (ONE OF SEVERAL) AND THE MANSION
The Washington, D.C.
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Jennifer Douglas Jemila Abubakar
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metropolitan area is similar to most metro areas and cities, in that there are certain neighborhoods that are very,
very exclusive.
These neighborhoods are reserved for the very,
very wealthy.
Therefore, if you don�t fall into the right income
bracket, you can't even be permitted to drive and look.
In the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the wealthiest, most exclusive neighborhoods
certainly include Potomac, Maryland. If you tell anyone who
lives here that you live in Potomac, Maryland, they instantly know that you are wealthy.
The Mansion at Sorrel
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Atiku's Mansion at Sorrel
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that was raided by the FBI is located at 9731 Sorrel Avenue,
Potomac Maryland, and is listed under the name of Jennifer Douglas. Jennifer Douglas is also known as Jennifer Douglas Abubakar, and also known
as Jemila Abubakar. She is one of the wives of Nigeria�s
Vice President Atiku Abubakar.
I took the liberty of checking the property
records for this mansion, and the Mansion at Sorrel is listed as owned by none other than Jennifer Douglas, one
of the wives of Nigeria's Vice President Atiku Abubakar. The interior of the
Mansion at Sorrel is adorned with pictures of the man, Atiku Abubakar himself, and there is no doubt from inspection
of the living quaters that the property belongs to the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
According to the real property
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Atiku's Mansion at Sorrel
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records, the mansion was purchased by Jennifer Douglas in 2000, barely one-year after Atiku
Abubakar came into office as vice President to Olusegun Obasanjo who swears
he is embarked on a war against corruption. The property is now worth
$2.2 million. For complete details on the property, please refer to the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation Real Property Data
Search.
Atiku is known to spend at least two months out of every year at Sorrel. Jennifer Douglas is known to reside at the mansion, and is a graduate student at Washington University.
PARTING THOUGHTS
As all of this
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Atiku's Mansion at Sorrel
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information came to light, two things occurred to me. The first was the mansion. As stated earlier in this piece, the mansion was purchased shortly after Atiku
came into office.
The corruption of Nigeria�s top officials is no secret. Therefore I am not surprised by the notion that public funds are
routinely being used to purchase extravagant mansions. What is glaring is the
failure of the corrupt Nigerian officials to mask the correlation between their assumption of public office and
the acquisition of property in the US and other countries. Such purchases inevitably occur shortly after public
servants take the oath of office. Nor am I surprised that
the home was purchased under the name �Jennifer Douglas.� The attempt to cover the
tracks was obvious.
The second thing that came to my mind
was the raid.
It is reported that Mrs. Abubakar has fled to Nigeria. I suspect that she will
remain in Nigeria until
well after the FBI has completed its investigations into the telecom deal and closed the case.
Given her presence in the United States and her proximity to Capitol Hill, as well as her relationship to
the Vice President of Nigeria, I would speculate that she is in the perfect position to act as the go-between for
the Vice President and Congressman Jefferson. Mrs. Abubakar in my view is the proverbial missing link for the FBI. Unfortunately, she is not
available to comment on these events.
As a student, JenniferJemila Douglas-Abubakar has no verifiable source of income to justify her ownership of a
$2.2 million dollar mansion in exclusive Potomac, Maryland. Not too long ago, Mrs. Stella Obasanjo, the wife of
President Obasanjo was implicated in illegal oil lifting. The president's son, Gbenga Obasanjo, has been implicated
in the operation of illicit foreign bank accounts.
It is inconceivable that the regime in Abuja could continue to claim that it is legitimately waging a war against
corruption when family members are routinely used as cover for the fraudulent activities of the president, the
vice president, and other high office holders.
Renee Bridgeford, Esq.
Centreville, Virginia