Ibori tried to bribe me - Ribadu

In a witness statement deposed to in August in London, as part of the ongoing investigations into Mr. Ibori’s alleged criminal activities (by the London Metropolitan Police), Ribadu narrates the events of that day.

“On the day that James said that he was going to give me money, I told my colleagues and we went to Andy Uba’s house... James (Ibori)was there and his servant or driver brought out the money from the house, in two (2) massive sacks containing US$100 dollar bills. My staff took possession of the money... I told my staff to take the money to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) where it was counted and lodged as an exhibit.”

“The money” in question added up to “exactly US$15 million” [N2.25 billion]. Andy Uba, at whose house this exchange took place, was then a special assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo. At the time the offer was made, Mr. Ribadu’s annual official salary was about US$50,000.

It was not the first meeting between Mr. Ribadu and Mr. Ibori. Indeed Mr. Ibori was no stranger to criminal investigations and law courts. His first four years as Governor were spent largely fighting allegations that he was an ex-convict and therefore ineligible to have contested for Governorship in the first place.

“I have met with James Onanafe Ibori (James) on numerous occasions prior to and during the period that he was under investigation. When I began investigating him he asked me what could be done to stop the investigation (into him). He told me that everybody was corrupt and that he was doing it because everybody else was doing it,” Mr. Ribadu’s deposition states.