For daring to write unpleasant stories about corruption in Aso Rock that has consumed a presidential adviser, President Olusegun Obasanjo is exerting his powers across the borders, as his legal team has succeeded in shutting down the fiery Nigerian news site in New York, Saharareporters.com.
Publisher of the web site, Omoyele Sowore, sent out a message to his readers this morning, telling them of how the Federal Government has been fighting his organization for news stories about Andy Uba, the president's friend and adviser, who is alleged to have smuggled thousands of dollars into the United States.
It wrote: "As you must have noticed, our dear websites: www.saharareporters.com, www.saharareporter.com, www.saharareports.com" has (sic) been shut down. Since we published the story effectively and undisputably linking President Obasanjo to the Andy Uba money laundering scam, he has used every means available to get back at us.
"You are all aware that he has been using a lawyer based in Maryland, USA to harass our publication, but since we sent an appropriate response commensurate with his legal threat, they are possibly up to other tactics.
"First, our site was shut down on the day we published the Andy Uba story for two hours.However, we restored the site as soon as was possible. Yesterday, just as President Obasanjo admitted to accepting close $46,000 "gift" for his Obasanjo Farms from Andy Uba And Loretta Mabinton through his "International Legal Counsel on Persoanl Matters" Mr. Kunle Fagbenle, our webhosting company complained to us that our website was 'abusing their server and using their cpu at 100%' and as such had to shut down SAHARAREPORTERS because it was rendering others sites on their server 'inoperable'.
"Again, these are technical jargons that points to one direction only: There is a conspiracy to put our site out of existence.However, this will not happen, as such we will be working round the clock to resume our activities online ASAP. We seeek your understanding and patience during this time and seriously implore all lovers of transparency, accountability and good governance who may be willing to share their technical knowledge on how to reinforce our online presence to please contact us ... Ultimately we will need our own server and SAHARAREPORTERS will appreciate possible suggestions and dedicated support from our teeming readers."
Andy Uba, a physiotherapist formerly resident in the United States of America, was appointed by President Olusegun Obasanjo as Special Assistant, Domestic Matters in 1999. According to Daily Sun: "Most Nigerians don’t know how powerful Andy’s job is, they don’t know how close he is to Baba, let me tell you he is the closest to the man, he is like the man’s first child, ironically those of us in Aso Rock hardly know the man or how he looks like, he just enjoys doing his job and this is what has kept him well over seven years.”
His closeness to President Obasanjo is what makes the corruption case about him a problem for Aso Rock. The fight against corruption by the administration is now under assault from within. The president's own man is believed to be very corrupt. Understandably, Obasanjo is moving to stop the bleeding.
The story that got Saharareporters.com in trouble with the Nigerian government was published on its web site on November 5 under the title: "Andy Uba: President Obasanjo's pimp involved in money laundry in the US-THE NATION"
This is the full report:
Three years after allegedly smuggling thousands of dollars into the United States, American Secret Service (SS) agents may still be after President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Senior Special Assistant on Domestic Matters, Mr Andy Uba.
And for allegedly using a presidential plane to smuggle the money into New York on September 22, 2003, Obasanjo’s plane may be impounded "over illegal importation of bulk cash into the US the next time it lands on any territory where US law has jurisdiction".
The President has visited the United States several times since 2003.
Uba, who is described as a "seasoned traveller" by a Special Agent with the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customers Enforcement (ICE), Guy Gino, "remains under surveillance whenever he steps into the US for money laundering and advance fee fraud."
Gino, who is assigned to investigate the "Uba scam", was specially trained at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centre in Washington D.C. to "detect illegal methods used to smuggle contraband and other undeclared items, use of schemes to conceal and launder proceeds of financial crimes, federal criminal procedures, federal criminal statutes, US customs laws and regulations and other federal laws, including, but not limited to, statutes involving the bulk cash smuggling of United States currency into the United States."
The President’s Temperance Farm in Ota, Ogun State is also under investigation because "$45,487.28 (about N6.5 million) from the laundered cash was used to buy assorted farm equipment that were shipped to Obasanjo farms in Ota".
The Nation
learnt that Uba (also known as Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba with address given as 772, Ibrahim Taiwo Street, Asokoro, Abuja) smuggled $170,000 cash into the US on September 22, 2003.
The money, among others, was illegally deposited in tranches at various banks in Portland, Oregon. Miss Loretta Mabinton, Uba’s friend, was used as a front.
Uba had accompanied Obasanjo to New York to attend a meeting of the United Nations.
Not only was the Presidential plane used to smuggle the cash, Uba did not report the fund to US Customs and Border Protection and "a portion of the money was later used to purchase a Mercedes Benz Car for Uba at $91,262.50 (about N12.9 million)."
"Another sum of $45,487,28 (about N6.5 million) was used to pay Mabinton’s MBNA credit card account which had been used to purchase assorted farm equipment that were shipped to Obasanjo’s farms in Ota."
It was gathered that Uba, who was listed as a "previous subject of a Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud scheme investigation", and Mabinton did not wire the cash through banking transaction which would have drawn attention to "origination, source and destination."
Because of the "strong belief" that the laundered money must have been proceeds of corruption, the vehicle and funds from Mabinton’s bank account were administratively seized on the orders of a US District Court of Oregon on June 12, 2006 "being proceeds of bulk cash smuggling, violations of currency and monetary instrument reporting requirements, currency transaction reporting requirements and money laundering".
District Judge Malcom F. Marsh gave the order. Uba and Mabinton’s lawyer was Douglas A. Stringer.
The Presidential aide hails from the popular Uba political family of Anambra. His elder brother Ugochukwu is a Senator. His younger brother Chris is the "godfather" of Anambra politics.
Andy Uba has a governorship ambition.
It was gathered that the money used to buy the Benz was converted to cashier’s check.
When interviewed by Secret Service agents on November 6, 2003, Uba confessed to bringing the cash to the US. He did not, however, respond to the question on why he refused to file the Report of International Transportation of Currency or Monetary Instruments Report (CMIR).
The Atlanta branch of the Secret Service had previously suspected Uba as being involved in money laundering deals but in his defence of December 20, 2004, he said the money was part of his "savings and family money".
To show the seriousness of the US government, a serious warrant was issued to seize Uba’s Benz. The warrant was served by Gino on Delmos Shipping on November 18, 2003.
"The vehicle had already been shipped and had to be returned to Portland, Oregon from Singapore. The vehicle arrived in Portland, Oregon on January 15, 2004."
On June 3, 2005, the customs said Uba’s statement on his source of money was not legitimate.
On April 4, 2006, Uba and Mabinton’s lawyer Stringer filed a "verified statement of Interest in Defendant Property".
Another "Answer to Complaint, Affirmative Defences and Counterclaim against the United States of America" was filed by Uba and Mabinton on April 24, 2006.
On August 31, 2006, a move was made by the duo to settle the matter out of court.
On September 27, 2006 Judge Marsh ordered:
"Based upon the Settlement Agreement filed on August 31, 2006 between the United States and claimant’s Loretta Mabinton and Emmanuel Uba, and upon the records and files in this action;
"It is ordered that this court has subject matter jurisdiction in this action and the sub res defendant, in rem, $26,000 in United States currency, is forfeited to the United States of America, free and clear of the claims of any and all persons, including Loretta Mabinton and Emmanuel Uba.
"The United States Customs and Border Protection is directed to immediately seize and transfer the custody and possession of the sub res defendant, in rem, $26,000 in United States currency, to the secretary of Treasury of the United States for disposition in accordance with applicable statutes and regulations and provisions of this judgment."
Gino, in a 21-page affidavit, said it was not the first time Mabinton would deposit such funds allegedly on behalf of Uba at Electra Federal Credit Union (EFCU).
"The vehicle registered in the state of Oregon to Loretta Mabinton. Seattle ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents spoke with bank officials, who informed the agents of recent deposits by Loretta Mabinton totalling approximately $200,000. The bank officials also indicated that several of the deposits appeared to have been structures," he said.
EFCU officials, he said, reported that they first observed suspicious activity by Mabinton on September 2, 2003 when she structured a deposit in US currency.
"On September 23, 2003, bank officials told me that Mabinton brought $160,000 in United States currency to the bank in a purple plastic grocery bag. The currency consisted of 1,600 new $100 FRN stamped with the phrase ‘AL GULAM’.
"Mabinton opened a second account in her name at the EFCU and deposited the $160,000. Bank officials advised me that Mabinton added Emmanuel Uba’s name to the account several weeks later," Gino said.
When a ‘freeze’ was placed on Mabinton’s account, she on November 5, 2003 contacted the Secret Service, Portland, Oregon President Office and spoke with Special Agent Mark Kehoe upon receiving notification of the frozen funds.
She revealed to Kehoe that any notes stamped with the words "AL GULAM" came from a bank in Nigeria that is used by her fiancée Emmanuel Nnamdi Uba.
"Mabinton stated that she flew to New York on September 22, 2003 and received $170,000 in United States currency from Uba while at the UN Plaza Hotel, Mabinton stated that Uba had flown into the United States with the currency on the Nigerian President’s aircraft.
"Mabinton stated that Uba is the ‘Special Assistant to the President’ of Nigeria and that he was not required to declare any currency if he was flying on the President’s plane.
"Mabintton stated that she needed the $170,000 to handle Uba’s personal/business affairs. Additionally, he asked her to buy a Mercedes Banz SL 500 with some of the money and ship it to him in Nigeria. Mabinton said she deposited $160,000 into a joint account with Uba at Electra Federal Credit Union and deposited $10,000 into her own personal account," Gino said in the affidavit.
The special agent said since Uba was not "an accredited diplomat with the Nigerian government," he has no official diplomatic standing in the United States and even "if the money had been transported into the United States via a diplomatic pouch, the money could only be used for official purposes of the government of Nigeria.
