IBORI GET’S HEROIC WELCOME.

As ex-Delta gov returns home from UK Prison.
 Former Delta State Governor James Ibori returned to Nigeria

The Aircraft, marked 5N-IZY that brought Ibori to Benin Airport.

unannounced yesterday six years after he first fled into exile in Dubai and four years after his imprisonment in the United Kingdom for corruption.

 He arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja early Saturday aboard a British Airways plane.

Ibori addressing the traditional ruler of Oghara kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Nobel Eshemitan, Orefe 111, when he visited the monarch in his palace immediately as he stormed Oghara

Ibori in his house with his people

On arrival he was picked by operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) who moved him to their Abuja headquarters for questioning.

Many is of relations, political associates and supporters besieged the airport waiting for him.

Some of those at the airport to receive the former governor were council chairmen, members of the House of Assembly, appointed office holders, traditional rulers, youths and other social bodies.
They included the Secretary to the State Government, Victor Ovie Agas; Commissioner for Environment, John Nani; chairman of Sapele council area, Ejaefe Odebala; chairman of Ethiope West, Solomon Golley; chairman of Okpe council area, Prince Godwin Ejinyere.

Ibori with his supporter in his house

Others were the Managing Director of DESOPADEC, William Makinde; Pius Ovbije (POC), a commissioner on the board of DESOPADEC, Chief Emmanuel Ighomena, a Senior Special Assistant to the governor; Chief Emmanuel Ganiga, National President of the UK branch of UPU; Chairman of DSIEC, Mr Moses Ogbe; member representing Okpe constituency in the Delta State House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborevwori.

 Ibori arrived Benin Airport at about 2.20pm in a chartered plane, a Challenger 60 run by IZYAIR and bearing registration number India Zulu Yanky (5NIZY) from there his convoy drive to his home town Oghara home town in Delta State. 

His house was jam packed by well wishers and political associates, who came to rejoice with him.

Ibori and his People

His arrival yesterday caught many people by surprise even after he had hinted earlier in the week that he would return within days to Nigeria.

He was released from prison in December after serving half of his 13-year sentence, taking into account pre-trial detention.

His road to prison began in 2007 after the Metropolitan Police raided the London offices of lawyer Bhadresh Gohil where they found in a wall behind a fireplace  computer hard drives containing details of a myriad off-shore companies run for Ibori by Gohil, fiduciary agent Daniel Benedict McCann and corporate financier Lambertus De Boer.

His kinsmen and supporter waiting for him at Airport

All of these men were later jailed for a total of 30 years.

Following these corruption allegations, the United Kingdom courts froze Ibori's assets there, valued at about £17 million in early August 2007.

 Ibori’s wife, Nkoyo, was arrested at the Heathrow Airport in London on 1 November 2007, in connection with the probe of the assets of her husband, particularly in the United Kingdom.[6] She was released after being questioned.

Ibori himself was later arrested on December 12 2007 by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Kwara State Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja.

He was subsequently slammed with charges bordering on theft of public funds, abuse of office, and money laundering.

The then EFCC Chairman, Malam Nuhu Ribadu also alleged at the time that Ibori attempted to bribe him to drop the charges with a cash gift of $15 million, which Ribadu claimed to have deposited with  the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as exhibit.

A Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, Delta State, discharged and acquitted Ibori of all 170 charges of corruption brought against him by EFCC on December 17, 2009

But in April 2010, about three months after the assumption of office by the then President Goodluck Jonathan, a fresh charge of embezzlement of N40 billion was pressed against him.

his supporter welcome him home

Crowd, including politicians, rushing to leave the Osubi Airstrip after information filtered in that the man they were waiting for, former governor James Ibori, was going to fly in through the Benin Airport.