Posted by From Madu Onuorah, Abuja on
PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo has accused former President of Liberia, Mr. Charles Taylor, of being a bad guest by his disappearance from his exile base in Calabar, saying that the warlord is neither his friend nor of Nigerians.
PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo has accused former President of Liberia, Mr. Charles Taylor, of being a bad guest by his disappearance from his exile base in Calabar, saying that the warlord is neither his friend nor of Nigerians.
The President in a statement issued on arrival in the United States (U.S.) just before the arrest of Taylor, said that he took great political risk by offering to host Taylor against the protests of both local and foreign critics, human rights, media and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
The statement was issued before his meeting with President George W. Bush.
Reliving the circumstances that led to Taylor's journey to Nigeria, Obasanjo said that "as the peace negotiation was progressing in Accra in 2003, it was agreed that Mr. Taylor had to be persuaded to resign as President of Liberia and to voluntarily leave the country to give peace a chance and for the successful implementation of the agreement up to the stage of democratic election of a new President. Nigeria and other African leaders took it upon themselves to persuade Mr. Taylor to accept to resign and to voluntarily leave his country. Nigeria offered to host him on behalf of West Africa and indeed Africa following due consultation with the UN (United Nations), and our development partners, including the United States.
"Without rescinding the earlier indictment, everyone turned a blind eye to get Mr. Taylor to peacefully leave Liberia. In fact, the then Chairman of ECOWAS, President John Kuffor, the out-going chairman and incoming chairman of the AU (African Union), Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Joachim Chissano, escorted him to Nigeria in August 2003. With the democratic election completed in Liberia and with President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf coming to power, it would seem that the Accra Peace Agreement had been fully and successfully concluded. President Johnson-Sirleaf formally requested to take custody of Mr. Taylor."
The President added: "After consultation in the manner that preceded his being hosted in Nigeria, a positive response was given to President Johnson-Sirleaf on Saturday, March 25, 2006. To the utter dismay of the Federal Government of Nigeria and in abuse of our hospitality, Mr. Charles Taylor, former President of Liberia, was discovered to have disappeared from Calabar, where he had lived for more than two years. This was before the government of Liberia could complete the arrangement to take Mr. Taylor into its custody as agreed. Our immediate reaction was to launch an aggressive and comprehensive search for him especially as there are insinuations by both family members and his religious counsellors of a possible abduction by former opponents from Liberia."
He then detailed the measures that led to the arrest of Taylor.
They include:
"I took great political risk in offering to host Taylor on behalf of the international community and humanity to avoid continued bloodshed in Liberia even in the face of allegations of his complicity in the death of some Nigerians in his country. I want to appreciate the opportunity that my meeting with President Bush will afford to discuss bilateral issues and those of conflict resolution and development in Africa and particularly the issue of Mr. Taylor, which looms ominously over the peace and security of Liberia, its neighbours, the West African sub-region and Africa."
The President stated that he had "personally expended tremendous personal capital and resources of Nigeria in pursuit of peace and security in Africa and we will continue in that vein. I will return home after my meeting with President Bush and my engagement in New York to ensure that the issue of the whereabouts of Mr. Taylor is relentlessly and vigorously pursued to its logical conclusion. I strongly believe that Taylor cannot escape from the watchful eyes and alertness of the Nigerian security agencies if he is alive and within Nigeria's borders."