Airways' Probe: Police Declare 78 Wanted
Bajowa, Koshoni, Pascal Dozie, Graham-Douglas on the list
By Ndubuisi Francis
Seventy-eight persons, including five former ministers indicted by the Justice Obiora Nwazota Judicial Panel of Inquiry into the activities of the Nigeria Airways between January 1983 and December 1999 have been declared wanted by the police.
The panel which concluded its work last year and submitted that about N54 billion was either mismanaged, looted or misappropriated, had recommended prosecution, ban from public office and refund of money by those indicted.
Among those declared wanted are Alhaji Jani Ibrahim, Capt. Mohammed Joji, Air Commodore Bernard Banfa Capt. Bara Allwell-Brown and Air Vice Marshall Anthony Okpere (rtd) all of whom were at different times managing directors of the airline.
Erstwhile ministers also declared wanted are Maj. Gen. Olu Bajowa (rtd), AVM Patrick Koshoni (rtd), AVM Abdullahi Bello (rtd), Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas and Capt. Benoni Briggs. A director in the Ministry of Aviation, Dr. Imoro Kubor, is also on the wanted list.
Chairman of Diamond Bank, Chief Pascal Dozie; Chairman of Fidelity Bond of Nigeria, Chief A. Olafisoye; Managing Director and officials of NICON Insurance Plc; officials and board members of Alexander Howden Aviation Company and Alhaji Mohammed Kari are also on the list.
The police declaration was made on April 26, 2004.
A letter addressed to the Managing Director of Nigeria Airways by Fatai A. Shittu, Deputy Commissioner of Police on behalf of the Deputy Inspector General of Police, 'D' Department, Abuja entitled "Investigation Activities. Re- A Case of Conspiracy, Fraud, Stealing and Fraudulent Conversion of Property of the Federal Government of Nigeria", listed those on the wanted list as former chief executives of the liquidation-bound airline.
"In compliance with the Federal Government directives, the above named suspects are being wanted by the police of the Force Criminal Investigation Department, (Force CID), Abuja in connection with the above mentioned cases.
"These suspects were on your employ/Board and transacted business with you or on your behalf between 1983 and 1999. You are kindly requested to furnish us with the following information concerning them from their records available with you", the letter read.
The police requested the managing director of Nigeria Airways to provide the following information on the wanted people:
Their business(s) and residential addresses
Names and addresses of their next of kin, spouses, guarantors, referees and business partners/agents
Their telephone, fax, e-mail numbers and addresses and
Any other information about them
Since April when the indicted persons were declared wanted, it is not clear what progress the police have made in either interrogating or prosecuting them.
However, some of those indicted had gone to court to seek an injunction restraining the Federal Government from releasing the white paper on the report.
But since the white paper was secretly released by the government, it has been a subject of controversy with accusations against the government that it was treating those fingered in the report with kid gloves, particularly against the backdrop of a statement credited to the then Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, that some of those indicted were "role models" and needed not be embarrassed.
A Federal High Court in Abuja recently named a liquidator, Babington Ashaye, for the compulsory liquidation of the airline, a move the workers who are rooting for voluntary liquidation are opposed to.
The workers who have already appealed against the ruling claimed that the Federal Government had earlier commenced a voluntary winding up of the airline's assets and had indeed made a declaration of solvency to pay all its creditors(including the workers) in full.
At the weekend, the workers opposed any attempt by the liquidator to take over the possession of the company until the determination of the appeal.
The workers are apprehensive that a compulsory liquidation will not guarantee the airline's creditors full payment of debts and entitlements.
|
