Criminal Politics: Violence, “Godfathers” and Corruption in Nigeria

police force and address serious police abuses. When he stepped down as inspector
general some of Ehindero’s aides were reportedly caught trying to smuggle N21
million in stolen money ($161,000) out of police headquarters and many reports
indicated that the money was being taken on Ehindero’s behalf. 133 No charges have
been brought against him as of the time of writing and no public response to the
allegations has been forthcoming from any federal government institution.
President Obasanjo himself was implicated in a number of scandals during his last
years in power, including an alleged attempt by his aides to bribe members of the
National Assembly to support Obasanjo’s bid for a third term. Days before leaving
office, Obsanjo controversially sold off two of Nigeria’s three troubled oil refineries to a
consortium of investors including Transcorp, a corporation that has purchased a
number of high profile government and other assets since its formation in 2004. 134
Transcorp has itself been a target of controversy since it became known that Obasanjo
had acquired 200 million shares of its stock by unknown means. 135 The Obasanjo
administration’s last-minute sale of the refineries to Transcorp aroused such
controversy that it played a minor part in triggering a nationwide strike in June 2007. 136
Impunity and the 2007 Elections
Nigeria’s fraudulent 2007 elections provided a vivid illustration of the unshakable
confidence many Nigerian public officials and politicians have in their own impunity.
Just as remarkable as the massive scale of the fraud that characterized the polls was
the openness with which violence, vote theft and other abuses were carried out.
133 See, e.g., “The Scandal at Force Headquarters,” The Daily Sun, June 18, 2007,
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/opinion/editorial/2007/june/18/editorial-18-06-2007-001.htm (accessed July 12,
2007).
134 Transcorp press release, “Bluestar Consortium Wins Bid for Port Harcourt Refining Company,” May 17, 2007,
http://www.transcorpnigeria.com/corporatecom/news.php?page=fullstory&nid=49 (accessed July 12, 2007). Bluestar
consortium includes Transcorp, Dangote Group, Zenon Oil and the Rivers State Government. The heads of the Dangote Group
and Zenon Oil are close to Obasanjo politically and the Rivers State government was one of Nigeria’s most flagrantly corrupt
state governments during the Obasanjo administration.
135 See, e.g., “The Dirty Transcorp Deal,” Newswatch, August 28, 2006. Available online at
http://www.thetimesofnigeria.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1031&Itemid=83&PHPSESSID=e1f16924
491a5c766bfef4e017 (accessed July 12, 2007).
136 A nationwide strike paralyzed Nigeria for several days in late June 2007. The demands of the strikers included reversing a
recent fuel price increase along with Obasanjo’s sale of the refineries to the consortium including Transcorp. The compromise
settlement that was struck did not include reversing the refinery sale.
Criminal Politics 44