Details are now confirmed from the United Arab Emirate revealing that the former governor of Delta State, Chief James Onanefe
Ibori has been apprehended.
Mr. Ibori was recently declared wanted by the Economic and financial Crimes Commission over alleged diversion of N528m shares belonging to Delta State in Oceanic
Bank.
Mr. Ibori who has a lengthy rap sheet fled the country to avoid arrest, but his luck ran out, when Interpol acting on tip off, tracked him down to his hide out
in Dubai.
James Ibori’s Rap Sheet
According to the then British court records, Mr. Ibori, age 29 and standing at 5ft 11 at the time, was born on August 4, 1962, and lived at 9 Nower Hill Pinner Middlesex, England. He worked as a
cashier at Wickes Building Supplies, Victoria Road, Ruislip, Middlesex,
and earned 9,500 pounds per annum.
On Tuesday, August 28, 1990, three days after she had been in police trouble, Theresa Nakanda Ibori's girlfriend went into the Wickes
Building Supplies Store and, putting her Uxbridge Police Station
incident quickly behind her and stole goods with the connivance of her
boyfriend, Mr. Ibori, at about 8.30pm.
Mr. Ibori "Assisted his girlfriend (Theresa) to pass through his check-out without paying for goods whilst employed as
cashier," was the way British court records described the former
governor's act.
Mr. Ibori and his girlfriend (now wife) were then charged before the Crown court at Isleworth. Theresa Nakanda and James Ibori, on August 28, 1990, were charged for "stealing a quantity
of goods..."
On January 25 1991, Judge Thomas convicted both Mr. Ibori and his wife and fined them "300 pounds in default and 14 days imprisonment”. They were also made to pay
"costs of the prosecution in the sum of 450 pounds."
Mr. Ibori, who was represented by the law firm of Desmond Wright and Co., paid a total of 750 pounds for his
crime.
Graduating to credit card fraud
A year after his conviction before the Crown court at Isleworth, Mr. Ibori, who is an elder of the ruling Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) was back in court again, this time at the
Clerkenwell magistrates court, in London.
Police officer McDonald
stated in his witness statement that:
"I have made further enquiries into the criminal convictions for Mr. James Ibori and can confirm that on the 7th
of February 1992 at Clerkenwell magistrate's court, London, Mr. Ibori
was convicted of one count of handling stolen goods contrary to Section
Mr. Ibori was convicted of one count of handling stolen goods contrary to Section 22 of the Theft Act, 1968."
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