Michael Aondoakaa

Nigeria’s Minister for Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Michael Aondoakaa is yet again in the news. This time, the loquacious Minister is said to be demanding for a whooping N100 Million from former Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju as bribe to shield the embattled former Governor from prosecution in the murder of Barnabas Igwe and his wife Amaka.

Igwe, a former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Onitsha Branch and his wife were murdered five years ago by assassins said to have been sponsored by former Governor Mbadinuju.

Pointblanknews.com gathered from a highly placed source that while Justice A Tahir of the Abuja High Court was issuing the bench warrant of arrest of Mbadinuju, for an alleged forgery in the murder case, the former Governor was at a meeting with the Minister of Justice to seek for a possible means of putting an end to the lingering murder charges against him.

To perfect the move to end the case, the Minister, it was learnt demanded for N100 Million to enable him “see all those involved in the case and lay it to rest once and for all.”

Gov. Mbadinuju

According to a source close to the former Governor who volunteered information on the meeting between the Minister and the former Governor, he said “the Minister demanded about N100 Million from Oga to help him in the case but Oga pleaded that he does not have that kind of money now. They would still meet again soon according to what Oga told me.

The source, a former aide to the ex-Governor could not give further details on the N100 Million demand by the Attorney General but those close to the Minister insists that he is capable of making such request.

It would be recalled that Aondoakaa was alleged to have collected several cash gift running into millions and some luxury items from some of the indicted former Governors to shield them from prosecution. He is said to have collected a Mercedes Benz from former Governor Orji Kalu. The allegation is yet to be denied.

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The same Minister was said to have employed pretentious means to attempt taking money from distraught Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC to sponsor him for an obviously unrelated trip to the United States in order to “truncate” ongoing legal battle in respect of $50 Million bribe allegation said to have been paid to international arbitrators to secure judgment against Gulf-Petro, a United States based company.

Officials of NNPC were said to have refused bankrolling his trip to the United States as it would be amount to collecting double Basic Travel Allowance, BTA, since the presidency had already arranged another trip at the same time with the minister.

Following his unsuccessful attempt at an NNPC source described as “free money,” the minister again was said to have tried jumping into the fray on the $6million Wilbross scandal “in the hope of making some quick bucks.” Aondoakaa was said to have bragged that he would storm the United States Court where the case was heard and make “spectacular presentation” that would lead to the exoneration of Nigerians and NNPC’s interest mentioned in the saga.

Mr. Aondoakaa had dashed the hopes and enthusiasm of Nigerians for justice concerning misappropriations, embezzlement of public funds and corrupt enrichment by some elected officials.

The minister had gained notoriety for slowing prosecution of indicted former Governors while employing the ambiguity of due process and rule of law.

His rude intrusion and careless initiation of correspondence with a London Court in an attempt to stall possible trial of embattled former Governor of Delta State, Mr. Ibori who was his main benefactor for the Ministerial position, stunned the international community.

Despite the embarrassments caused Nigeria by the Attorney General’s unbridled support for Ibori; he is still serving another day in office.

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