Henry Okah Goes To Jail

                   

Henry Okah, the man arrested for masterminding the October 1, 2010 Independence Day car bombings in Abuja, Nigeria, has been found guilty by a South African court on Monday.

Okah was found guilty on all 13 counts of engaging in terrorist activities, conspiracy to engage in terrorist activity, and delivering, placing and detonating an explosive device, and faces a minimum sentence of life in prison.

This information was doled out by the prosecutor, Shaun Abrahams when he spoke to The Associated Press: "This is clearly indicative that South Africa cannot be seen as a safe haven for international terrorists."

Judge Neels Claassen said South Africa had proved Okah's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. He added that Okah's failure to testify meant evidence against him remained uncontested.

Okah was arrested in Johannesburg one day after the Oct. 1, 2010 bombings. He is a leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, known as MEND, which claimed responsibility for the blasts. Okah still faces charges relating to two explosions in March 2010 in the southern Nigerian city of Warri.

Source: Associated Press.

It's good to know that Nigerians can finally lay to rest the ghosts that have haunted us ever since that tragic blast which killed 12 people and injured at least 17, at a time when the Nation was supposed to be celebrating its 2010 Golden Jubilee Independence.

The really sad part is that once again, it had to take the intervention of an international court to bring to justice a polluter of our collective national psyche. Ibori is the other example.

One major thing this verdict brings out is the clear message that criminals can no longer rely on the safety net that the international communities offer them.

If you commit a crime and flee the country, you're gonna get caught.

We only wish they could've been found guilty here so they can have a taste of what it feels like to experience the rot of a slow death in a Nigerian prison. . .

. . . Anyway, there's always extradition. . . If we care for it.