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As the saying goes, all’s well that ends well but it really is not when there is so much silence about what did go on.

Exactly two weeks ago, his nanny took ten-month old baby Enioluwa Odegbaike, from his home in Magodo area of Lagos State. The little boy had been left in the care of the nanny, simply identified as Victoria, who apparently absconded with the baby while his mother was in the bathroom.

This last weekend the baby was found in Badagry, a border town in Lagos State. He was immediately united with his parents. The ordeal Mr. and Mrs Odegbaike must have endured in the last two weeks is better imagined than described.

Nanny Victoria’s action raises all kinds of questions. Was the motive kidnapping? Was there a syndicate behind her? Was she stealing the infant for herself? How was the baby recovered? What role did the police play? What has happened to the nanny? Why do we know nothing more about her than her first name? Why in the face of the happy news that Enioluwa has been found are the parents keeping mum?

Kidnapping in Nigeria has assumed the potency of a terrorist threat. The history of this crime that began as a weapon wielded first by Niger Delta militants and grew to become a source of easy money for your common garden criminal has been too often documented to need repetition here. In Baby Enioluwa’s case, there were no reports of any demand for ransom. The most significant aspect of the story was the use of social networks, Facebook, Twitter and Blackberry messaging to alert the populace and circulate the face of this lovely child and Nanny Victoria.

Shortly after the baby went missing, the parents made his picture and that of the nanny available through Facebook and other social media. Before long the news began to circulate among Nigerians both at home and abroad. In fact, the face of baby Enioluwa became so popular that many used his picture as their logo on their Facebook accounts. This helped in no small measure to assist in raising awareness about the poor baby and his parent’s plight. The news about his disappearance, which went viral, was good; it shows the power of communication. But that is about all that can be said about the matter at this point.

It is clear that the information the Odegbaike family had on Victoria, was scanty. Throughout the period of their son’s disappearance they were unable to give the nanny’s family name or it seems provide any background information or documentation on her.

More baffling, or perhaps it is all perfectly understandable given our realities, is the complete absence of any input from the police on this matter. Instead we have social networks and messaging channels filling in the gap and gratitude to God and providence for bringing this child back alive.

Not to put too fine a point on it this is an untenable method of crime detection and law enforcement. If Nigerians avoid the police because they have no faith in the ability of the men and women charged with the duty of protecting them to do the job effectively then we really have some far more basic issues to consider than the current all important one of protecting the sanctity of our vote.

Where are we if we cannot protect our children?

For every Baby Enioluwa there are thousands more, susceptible to the same crime and raising our hands to the sky is not the answer. A well trained professional and functioning police force that has the trust and confidence of the public, the protection of the community and the enforcement of the law as its primary goals is.

Can someone make this a campaign issue, please?

Nuhu Ribadu, the former chief of Nigeria's anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has accepted an offer from Acting President Goodluck Jonathan, to be his special adviser on anti-corruption, good governance and sundry matters.

Presidency sources said at the weekend that Mr. Ribadu is expected to resume "in a matter of weeks" in Abuja. As part of his remit, Mr. Ribadu will be the presidential anchorman supervising the broad anti-corruption platform of the country which includes his former agency, the EFCC; the ICPC; the Code of Conduct Bureau and other related agencies.

He's back

Mr. Ribadu confirmed this in a telephone interview with NEXT at the weekend..

"Frankly I don't want to be drawn into any political discussion," he said. "But let me say it is true that I have been contacted. I also think it is only honest to say that Acting President Jonathan appears to have a keen understanding of the cogent priorities facing our nation which is currently teetering on the brink of disaster. It is probably right to also say he is taking the right steps on those critical priorities. For this reason, I believe it is the moral duty of Nigerians to support all efforts to save our country."

Mr. Ribadu is, at the moment, winding up a plum fellowship at the Centre for Global Development (CGD), a think tank in Washington D.C. dedicated to international issues of development. During his fellowship at the CGD, he was the lead person for the centre on anti-corruption, institutional reform, and African law enforcement policy. During this same period, he undertook special missions to advise many African countries who were just setting up anti-corruption and financial intelligence agencies.

Among the notable institutions that he consulted for were the World Bank and the United Nations (UN).

Mr. Ribadu also consulted for a host of western authorities including the United States government and the European Union (EU).

Presidency sources in Abuja said they expect Mr. Ribadu to meet with Mr. Jonathan, who will be visiting Washington at the invitation of the US president, Barack Obama, next week.

Ribadu's troubles

The former anti-corruption czar, for the past two years, had been in a running battle with the Umaru Yar'Adua led government, culminating in Mr. Ribadu's exile and the decision to take up fellowship offers, first at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom and then CDG in the US.

Last year, Mr. Ribadu admitted the decision to leave Nigeria was for self preservation. "I had to leave the country on January 3 this year (2009) after a relentless persecution which climaxed in two assassination attempts," he said in November.

At the height of his troubles with Nigeria's ailing president, Umaru Yar'Adua, who has not been seen since he took an emergency medical vacation five months ago, the former EFCC boss was dramatically charged to court with the alleged failure to properly declare his assets during his tenure as the EFCC chairman.

Mr. Ribadu was said to have failed to produce an asset declaration form, which is a crime for all senior public officers who do not do so, according to the Nigerian constitution. The Fifth Schedule of the 1999 constitution mandates all public office holders to declare all their assets.

Mr. Ribadu however consistently refutes the charges and said that he had not defaulted in the asset declaration procedure. According to him, his asset declaration forms were "submitted on assumption of office in March 2003 and (on) my exit from office in December 2008. I assert that there is no substance to this case; that my assets were (not) declared. How could I have been confirmed for my position in 2003 if I did not submit an asset declaration form to the Senate, as all officers needing senate confirmation are obligated to do?"

Insisting that the forms are in the safe custody of the Code of Conduct Bureau, Mr. Ribadu further urged the Code of Conduct Tribunal to call for the documents. "Is it also not in the power of the Tribunal to simply order the Code of Conduct Bureau to produce certified true copies of my asset declaration if this is what truly concerns the Tribunal?" he asked.

In the clear

Last week however, the federal government indicated its desire to withdraw its case against Mr. Ribadu at the Code of Conduct Tribunal last week, admitting that it had no case against the former EFCC boss.

Mr. Ribadu's fight with the government is seen to have come to an end as the former anti-graft boss prepares to return home after months of exile abroad.

The former anti-corruption czar is looking forward to it. "It is important for us to know that the nation has lost a huge ground in the past two years (and) it would take the collective effort of all patriotic Nigerians to work for the restoration of their country. I certainly look forward to coming back soon," Mr. Ribadu said.

SOME of the 42 ministers sacked, Wednesday, are intensifying lobby to return to the cabinet, according to reliable Presidency sources.

Also, the names of the first batch of ministerial nominees will get to senators for screening by Monday while the number of ministers to be appointed will be reduced from the present 42 to about 30, the sources added.

The decision to prune the number of ministers was informed by the desire of the Acting President to run a compact government that would facilitate the delivery of the most needed change in the country.

Already, inputs from governors and other opinion leaders are to be submitted not later than today for such nominees to undergo security screening before their names are forwarded to the National Assembly.

Updates as they happen

1245 - Action Congress says the "mere presence" of the president is not enough for him to resume power. Publicity secretary, Lai Muhammed, says the president must now write a letter to nation assembly to announce that he is fit for office.

1239 - Senate begins third reading of Section 145 ammendement bill. On the same day that it passed the second reading.

1232 - Army official detailed to receive president at airport this morning claims that Mr. Yar'Adua "walked" into the waiting ambulance. This is unconfirmed.

1220- Secretary to the government of the federation, Yayale Ahmed, announces that the weekly federal executive council meeting has been postponed. The Acting president will still meet with his cabinet in his office at 2pm but this will be a private meeting. No reference made to President Yar'Adua's health or return. He is not expected however to attend the meeting between Goodluck Jonathan and his cabinet.

1153 - Senate goes ahead to conclude debate amending section 145 of the constitution without any mention of President Yar’Adua’s return.

1135 - Jonathan is waiting, trying to avoid embarrassment by staying away and waiting for the president who is taking eternity to come out

1134 - Senate makes no reference to the president's return and continues session on amendment of Section 145 of the Nigerian constitution. However various groups are seen fervently huddling together during recess.

1131 - A security detail is guarding the president’s chair to ensure Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan does not sit on the chair.

♦One hour after the weekly cabinet meeting of ministers was supposed to have commenced, there is no sign that it would hold, as all the ministers have stayed away.

Neither the Acting President, Goodluck Jonathan nor his aides have also turned up. This is very unusual, as they (the Acting President and his aides) always keep to time in past meetings. Mr Jonathan had locked out some ministers from past meeting for lateness.

However, aides to the ailing President, Umaru Yar'Adua who returned to the country, early this morning were seen at the chambers. Mr Yar Adua's (Aide-de-Camp) ADC, Mustapha Onoedieva
and Chief security Officer Yusufu Tilde were seen at the council chambers for a while earlier today, but they also left.

No presidency official is willing to talk yet.

President Umaru Yar'Adua returned to Nigeria early this morning, and was carried from the airport in an ambulance. A terse report on Nigerian Television Authority this morning said he has been taken to a ‘clinic.'