Malabu Oil Deal: Apologise to Dan Etete, IYC tells FG 

The Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) Worldwide has called on the Federal Government to tender an unreserved apology to Dan Etete following the judgement of a court in Milan that exonerated him from fraud and bribery in the transfer of Oli Operating Licence (OML) 245 from Malabu to Shell and Eni.

Etete, a former Minister of Petroleum, who hails from Bayelsa State faced triala for over 36 months in the UK and Italy on allegations that he was involved in corrupt practices during the Malabu oil deal.

But the Milan court dismissed the charges as baseless and ruled that Etete had no case to answer insisting that the Malabu oil transfer settlement, agreements, negotiations and financial payments were beyond reproach.

IYC in a statement signed on Tuesday by its Spokesperson, Ebilade Ekerefe, described the judgement as a vindication of Etete, Bayelsa and the entire Ijaw nation.

Ekerefe asked the Federal Government to immediately return all seized assets belonging to Etete and restore all his privileges in the country.

He accused the Federal Government of always looking for any slightest infraction to hound and drag prominent Ijaw personalities, who came in contact with opportunities at the federal level while ignoring and shielding northerners involved in mega corruption deals.

He said the Etete case was clear evidence that the federal government was relentlessly persecuting Ijaw and Niger Delta people and commended Etete for standing up against the government to defend his integrity and origin.

Ekerefe observed that other rising Niger Delta stars in federal service were either forced out of their jobs or denied opportunities to reach the pinnacles of their professions.

He said similar unfair treatments were meted out on a former Director-General, Department State Servics (DSS), Mr. Seiyefa Mathew; a former NIMASA Boss, Mr. Patrick Akpobolomemi and foremost Ijaw Leader, High Chief Government Ekpemukpolo also known as Tompolo.

Ekerefe said: “They were all falsely accused, put on forceful trials and exonerated from all trump-up charges brought against them by the federal government.

“We commend the Milan Court and many others for their sound ruling on the matter involving Chief Etete. We are worried that the Federal Government is waging a selective war against businessmen and politicians of Ijaw extraction.

“The so-called war against corruption in the oil sector appears to be targeted at institutions and individuals from the Niger Delta region, particularly of Ijaw extraction. We wonder why others involved in oil business from other regions of the North are not questioned and prosecuted.

“We call on the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari to tender an unreserved apology to Chief Dan Etete for the physical, psychological and financial trauma the three years fictitious trial had taken on him and the people of the region”.