•May get life in prison
A South African court yesterday convicted Henry Okah of 13 terrorism
charges, including twin bombings that killed 12 people in the Abuja on
Nigeria’s Independence Day in 2010. “I have come to the conclusion that
the state proved beyond reasonable doubt the guilt of the accused,” said
Judge Neels Claassen, handing down the verdict in the South Gauteng
High Court.
Okah was found guilty of masterminding attacks including twin car
bombings in the federal capital on October 1, 2010, and two explosions
in March 2010 in Warri, Delta State, a major hub of the oil-rich Delta
region.
He faces a minimum term of life in prison when the court sentences
him by February 1. Okah, who has sympathy for the ideals of the Movement
for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which in 2010 was a
well-equipped armed group fighting for a greater share of Nigeria’s oil
wealth, claimed responsibility for the attacks that took place as
Nigeria celebrated 50th independence anniversary. MEND has a history of
staging fierce attacks on oil facilities and kidnapping expatriate
workers in the Niger Delta.
Okah denied involvement in the Abuja blasts and said the charges were
political. But the judge said evidence “overwhelmingly established that
the accused was the planner, funder, supplier, instructor, expert and
leader in the execution of the bombings in Warri and Abuja.” Okah has
denied leading MEND, but has admitted sympathising with their goals.
The court saw documentary evidence of his role in the group,
including handwritten notes by his wife. Okah, 46, is thought to be the
first foreign national to be tried for terrorism in South Africa. South
Africa said it arrested and tried him as a signatory to international
laws on terrorism as well as on the back of a UN resolution urging
nations to prevent and suppress terrorism.
Okah holds permanent residence in South Africa, but is known to have
travelled back and forth between the two countries. “An international
terrorist was successfully prosecuted in South Africa,” said prosecutor
Shaun Abrahams. “We feel vindicated that justice has been done. We
simultaneously feel this is a test case in the history of our law.”
Legal sources said Okah is unlikely to be extradited back home where
chances are high he would face a death sentence.
A marine engineer by training, Okah was granted permanent residence
in South Africa in 2007 based on his ability to run his own business
there. In 2007, he was arrested in Angola for arms and explosives
trafficking.
A year later, he was extradited to Nigeria to face treason and
gunrunning charges. In 2009, Okah was freed from a Jos prison in Plateau
State where he claimed poisonous snakes had been released into his
cell. His release followed an amnesty deal offered by the government to
thousands of Delta militants. The court said he then left for South
Africa, but returned to Nigeria in early 2010, sponsoring the purchase
of cars, which were modified to allow the fitting of explosive devices.
Months later, the cars were used to bomb Independence Day festivities
that were attended by several foreign heads of state, including South
African President Jacob Zuma. Okah was convicted of threatening to
disrupt South African businesses in Nigeria, including kidnapping its
workers. He was also accused of being a spokesman for MEND.
Nigerian police have described him as “an international gun-runner
and a major oil bunkerer (thief) in the Niger Delta.” Around 30
witnesses were flown in from Nigeria to testify in the case, including
the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday Orubebe.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
-
Operating licences of 236 out of about 730 bureaux de change operating in Nigeria have been withdrawn by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CB...
-
By Juliana Francis One thing became crystal clear at the passing out parade and commissioning of 385 members of the Cadet Officers bas...
-
Seyi Gesinde reports the tragic death of Dr Myles Munroe, which occured aboard a plane which crashed while trying to land in The Baha...
No comments:
Post a Comment