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The Governor's Dirty Billions

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it will bring peace to her village. Some of her neighbours say it could

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be out of place. At her home in North Hykeham sister Mary and Joyce

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tending her garden. Her bungalow could look something like this, an

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enormous cross 20 feet high would tower over the time. There are 400-

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500 crosses around the world. They are meant for everyone. Not just

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for me. They are for spiritual protection for the area, city and

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the county. Not all of those living in the area or think it is a good

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idea. I think it is absolutely outrageous. I have only just got to

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know about it. I am just shocked. I cannot believe that anyone would

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want to impose such an odious object in full view of the public.

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Others are more supportive. Nice to see an expression of Christian

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Identity. Good luck to the lady for having the courage of her

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convictions to do so. The sister is no stranger to controversy. She

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still considers herself a noun. Her campaign against the Ffion, the

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Diffin she code, took her to the Cannes Film Festival. -- film, the

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Da Vinci Code. Her across has attracted both support and

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opposition. -- cross. Planners will have the final say after 21st July.

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That's all for me for now. It's time for Our World. Money makes the

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world go around. This is what happens when billions are stolen

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from Africa's for by their own politicians. He gave me $16 million

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in cash. The crimes are hidden by contacts and institutions in the

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rich and developed nations of the West. He is bringing large amounts

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of cash with him on the flights. Each and every action he did was

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corrupt. It is January, 2004. Police are a

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quarter of a hotel where a guest is outside his room on the fifth floor

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giving away money. He was throwing notes around like confetti. Giving

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the staff. Just like that. INAUDIBLE. He had so much.

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guest was a senior politician from Nigeria, a state governor. His

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arrest overtime would lead investigators to worldwide networks

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for laundering money. Politicians in Africa would steal millions and

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then people in respectable offices in London and elsewhere would bury

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the traces, cover them up so they looked legitimate. The Governor is

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coming! In Nigeria state governors ruled the roost. They are viewed

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with awe or contempt. Supporters of this governor are on the streets.

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He is at the courthouse. He is charged with stealing $100 million

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from state coffers. In the past decade since the cash giveaway at

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the London hotel, governors in more than 50% of Nigeria's 36 states

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have faced similar charges. This is just the latest. Even when

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convicted few go to jail. Justice like everything else can be

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compromised. One Nigerian Observer has just said to me rather Rivoli,

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this is how we celebrate corruption. The consequences of corruption are

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just around the corner. No pavements, no roads and filth. This

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is the centre of the state capital. All the situation... This is the

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business district. Detectives from London following up on the governor

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who gave away money eventually went to Nigeria to testify in a number

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of cases. It was a culture shock. We went to his impeachment hearing,

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that was a little tricky. We had an armed escort, we felt reasonably

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safe. We were brought in by helicopter into Jos. 500 security

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personnel. Guns everywhere. Britain's department for

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development keen to establish its anti-corruption credentials funded

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the investigation. These were people who faced gun shots and

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worse in their quest to clean up Nigeria. It was very difficult.

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Extremely powerful people with so much money and resources. As well

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as followers. To bring them to justice was the most difficult

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thing you could imagine. No-one was more powerful than the biggest

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target of all, James Ibori. In the scale of corrupt governors, where

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his James Ibori? Very much on top. He rubbed Nigerian state funds of

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untold fortunes. He started out here in West London working as a

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cashier in a hardware store. He was sacked for allowing his wife for

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taking �200 worth of material without paying. The following year

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he was arrested again for using a stolen credit card. He now had two

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convictions for dishonesty and was facing county court judgments for

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debt. It was 1991. James Ibori fled back to Nigeria. He was broke and

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at rock-bottom. By the end of the decade he managed to become one of

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the richest and most important role was in all Africa. As it has been

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so often since independence, Nigeria in the 1990s was in the

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grip of a military dictatorship. It is reckoned the family stole up to

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$7 billion from the state. For the newly returned James Ibori, the

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cronies were the people to impress. He became the chief of staff... The

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chief security officer, they became extremely close. That was the

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beginning. The starting point of how James Ibori became a very

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powerful person in Nigeria. Niger Delta should be one of the

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most prosperous regions in the earth. It produces millions of

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dollars. The riches go into the pockets of the elite. James Ibori,

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sponsored by Nigeria's ruling clique became governor of Delta

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State. His salary was $25,000. But he was soon a very wealthy man.

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This man set up Nigeria's anti- corruption squad. His prime target

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was James Ibori. He was buying companies, aeroplanes, he had

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properties in South Africa, UK, US and so on. What is more he was

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offering huge bribes. He offered 50 million me $15 million -- he

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offered me a $15 million. How could you resist the temptation? There is

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no difference between $100, $10 million, $100 million. It was wrong.

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It is not yours. Especially an individual fighting corruption.

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Governors in Nigeria are immune from prosecution while in office.

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At the end of his term he was charged with corruption. When the

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police moved in he made a run for it. There was a chase through the

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suburbs with James Ibori's car trailed by the anti-corruption

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squad. He finally took refuge in the lodge of a personal friend. The

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Governor of another state. It was only after a prolonged stand-off

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that James Ibori gave himself up. This is one of the interrogation

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rooms where Nigeria's politically exposed people, governors accused

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of corruption, have been brought. For much of the past ten years the

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man who has been directing the interrogations is this man. His

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biggest challenge, James Ibori. think we underestimated what was

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coming after his arrest. He faced 140 charges. When he was brought

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before a court every one of them was dismissed. James Ibori walked

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free. For Nigeria's anti-corruption scored it was a devastating blow.

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His anti-corruption work had amassed to many enemies. They tried

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to kill him. The car was bullet- proof, it needed to be. On a

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country road he was ambushed. After a second attempt on his life he

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went into exile, leaving behind a political class. It is a product of

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this completely corrupt system. He was so rich and powerful. With

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corruption thwarting justice within Nigeria, 3,000 miles away there was

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a breakthrough. Investigators in London had been following the

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activities of James Ibori. Huge amounts of money coming in from

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Nigerian companies. Huge amounts of cash coming into those accounts.

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They live extortionate lifestyles. �180,000 a month on a credit card.

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Every month. What was he buying? was spending money like water.

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should have been in Poland for a trip. He spent two days there. He

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flew back into London and then flew off to Miami and Los Vegas for 14

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days. He was bringing large amounts # You never give me your money

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His $5 million house in Hampstead is up for sale.

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There were various properties around the globe.

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He had luxury cars on threet continents private schools and tens

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of millions of assets. He had a bent London solicitor.

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The lawyer's name was Badrash and he worked in Mayfair. The law firm

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had offices here. We know he worked for the former President of Samibia

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who was akiezed of gross corruption. We know he helped Zabori to launder

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millions. If there was suspicions of staff,

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they would have to go to him. compliance man? Correct. When the

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police raided Gohill's office they found plans of money laundering

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designed to hide the funds. They were there on computer hard-drives.

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One scam described thedeposit of a $20 million private jet.

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It went to Luxembourg, Germany, niejeer ja or four, five occasions.

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It goes bath r back and forth. He had a company inkorpl rated in

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Polynesia. Money makes the world go around. To

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buy the plane, Gohill used the secret accounts in Nigeria and

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America. To trace the source of one Swiss account, he'd have to go to

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companies incorporated in Mauritious, in turn set up by a

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foundation in Panama, created by a trust in Polynesia, to disguise the

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truth about his wealth. He brought his wife, mistress and sister, all

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jailed for their part. Gohillt solicitor, got seven years. James

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Abori himself was sentenced to 13 years. But the story is far from

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over. What emerged since provides a bleak illustration of how

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corruption casts a cloud which spreads and lingers. Serious

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questions have been raised about the way the investigation was

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handled by the British Government and the UK police. To rewind,

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Ibori's trial went ahead December Mursiings from the defence that the

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London Police were involved in corruption.

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I asked the detectives what they felt about that.

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There's allegations of whether they were direct from James Ibori irk

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couldn't. It's disgraceful. But then weeks after Ibori's trial

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a committee of UK MPs heard evidence from the lawyer for Gohil.

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He suggested the London detectives still had serious questions to

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answer about what he allege was their own criminal conduct. The key

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cup prits appear to be the key players. The Senior Investigating

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cuff officer, DI Gary Walters and two of the key investigateers, DC

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John McDonald's and DC Clarke. Together they top and tail things

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so that in a way their own misconduct can't be detected.

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unnamed serving constable and three former officers were arrested on

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suspicion of involvement in bribery. They are all on bail. Andrew

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Mitchell says his department spent $500.

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It showed thaish commitment to rooting out corruption.

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He was allegedly embroiled in Ibori's cash laundering.

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Three years ago an Anglo Nigerian businessman warned that his

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enterprise arm involved with Ibori's company. But... Instead of

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investigating my report, the people who I accused place me under

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investigation. The whole idea of protecting my confidentiality was

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thrown out of the window right from the beginning.

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It was found every aspect of his life, birth in England, education

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and businesses in Nigeria, were put under covert investigation. He was

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secretly watched and photographed. That was the start.

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It becomes my house. I'm very, very upset about that,

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because I cannot see the baring, how that bears on my children. I

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can't see any investigation into me. What has that to do with my

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children, their school, identity. We learned Nigeria's anti-

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corruption squad, part funded by UK government aid.

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The money the whistle blower linked to laundering. Seven years after it

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began, funding inquiries into Nigeria's corrupt government ners.

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The UK's Government Aid agency finds itself on both sides of of a

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criminal investigation. That incredible paradox that the

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same people that have funded the prosecution are the same people

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that have funded activities which are now being investigated.

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Which are now investigated. In a statement they said their inquiries

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of three years ago found no indication British aid had been

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Amid the decay of corruption, the - some of Nigeria's politicians

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learned to read and write in this school.

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Back then it had a proper roof and windows and a floor.

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Now there's none of that. Most of the classes have a flr

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that's not good for children to sit. We manage it. We complained to the

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Government, but up to now nothing has been done. There should be

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plenty of money. Nigeria is not poor. You know, as we are in this

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country, whatever you complain to government, they will not listen to

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you. So we don't know what they are doing with the money. Do you think

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corruption... Yes, corruption. It's very, very sad. We don't know when

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According to one American diplomat, James Ibori may have robbed Nigeria

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of as much as $2 billion to $3 billion. That is a fraction of the

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$30 billion it is estimated Nigeria lost in illicit deals in the last

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Some of the luxury cars used by the gang r governors are now parked in

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a field close to the headquarters of the Anti-Corruption Squad.

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They've been confiscated. But it's a tiny victory for a state drowning

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in corruption's tide. People are entrusted, in the eyes

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of the politicians, to manage their affairs, because political office

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is pursued first. Look at this, they are in bad shape. Most of the

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