Report of threats to the life, freedom and or security of Mr Obi B. Thompson from unknown sources

1.) The National Security Adviser, NSA.
2.) The Hon. Attorney–General of the Federation, HAG F 3.) The Hon. Minister of Internal Affairs
4.) The Inspector General of Police, IG P
5.) The Director-General Department of State Security

Dear Sirs,

I hereby most respectfully call your attention to the above subject: “THREATS TO THE LIFE AND OR SECURITY OF MR. OBI B. THOMPSON FROM UNKNOWN SOURCES” and to humbly urge you to DUTIFULLY ensure that no further harm is done to the person of M R. OBI B. THOM PSO N than what he has been inhumanly and unlawfully subjected to by some individuals acting in the name of the Federal Government of Nigeria and its agency, the CBN.

I believe you are all aware of the fact that after suffering in silence for many years; and having exercised incredible level of forbearance in the face of extrem e provocation, cruelty and DISCRIMINATION by Nigerian State officials, MR. OBI B. THO MPSON recently decided to publicly expose certain questionable conducts of some individuals in the Presidency (or State House) of Federal Republic of Nigeria. I am referring specifically to the publication of Interstella Communications Ltd’s letter dated 2nd September 2019 (to the CBN Governor, copied to the HAGF and to the Chief of Staff to the President) in the 2nd October 2019 issue of ThisDay Newspaper, at pages 10 and 11.

This was followed by a World Press Conference I was directed to address on their behalf to let Nigerians and the World be aware of what Interstella Communications Ltd and MR. OBI B. THOMPSON have been subjected to, for a number of years, despite the Judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria delivered on 15th December, 2017 in their favor by which the Apex Court of the land affirmed the Judgments of lower Courts that ordered payment of certain sum s of money to them; but which (Supreme Court Judgment) the CBN and FGN neglected to obey and rather elected to be in contempt of, with impunity. The text of the aforesaid World Press address was also published at pages 10 and 11 of the Guardian Newspaper issue of Tuesday 29th O October 2019.

These documents are in the public domain; and the World can see if the contents imply a criminal act or even a misdemeanour, by M R. OBI B. THO MPSON.

Unfortunately, (and perhaps coincidentally), following the above steps taken by MR. O BI B. THOM PSO N, he has been subjected to harassment and threats by unknown individuals including a threat to the following effects:

(a) that the FGN would destroy and derogate the aforesaid Supreme Court Judgment in favour of Interstella Communications Ltd and Obi Thompson by deliberately creating the kind of controversy that would drag the Interstella 1

Judgment Debt (which went through the full gamut of Nigeria’s Judicial and Executive scrutiny), into the same league as the P&ID Judgment controversy;

(b) That MR. OBI B. THOMPSON would be framed and charged as the financier of IPOB;

(c) That he would either be assassinated, arrested and or detained on trumped-up charges in Nigeria; (or incriminating evidence would be planted in his luggage at an airport in Nigeria, using Security Operatives so that he would be arrested overseas). His children in the USA have also been receiving calls from unknown entities making same threats and asking them to warn their father.

While the above cowardly threats could be by fraudsters who live on extortion, the nature of the threats themselves prima facie suggest that there could be some element of State support that embolden the criminals to make such threats, though MR. OBI B. THOMPSON is very loath to accept that possibility. However, if there be any modicum of involvement of persons with access to the Security Apparatus of Nigeria in these anonymous threats, the possibilities become real and therefore make calling your attention to them for appropriate proactive intervention imperative.

Therefore, even at the risk of over-reaction, given the nature of the threats makes one suspect that there could be some rotten eggs within the State security apparatus whose support embolden the criminals. Hence, in good faith presumption that current holders of relevant offices at both the CBN and the Presidency could be ignorant of the background of the present Judgment Debt, it is necessary to enlighten (and alert) them on it, in order for them to exercise good conscience, should anyone approach them to participate in executing the threats.

Towards the above objective, the contents of a letter written by the NSA with ref No. NSA A/ 221/C dated 12th December 2010 (hereby marked as Annexure 1) may be partially helpful in some respect. It addresses some background truths that make the instant threat mindless. The FGN knows that after NITEL deliberately strangulated Interstella Communications Ltd network and ruined their huge investments in building the infrastructure, Interstella Communications Ltd moved to disrupt the operations of NITEL, stop its sale, and seize its assets. That was how the NSA’s office (then under His Excellency (Amb) Sarki Muktar (Gen Rtd.) intervened and pleaded with the Company to relax the measures of freezing NITEL’s assets (so that the FGN could go on with the sale), in exchange for the Federal Government taking over the debts and paying them IMMEDIATELY.

The current NSA should research the role his office played in 2009 that gave rise to ANNEXURE 2 hereto, a directive by President Yar’ Adua of blessed memory who, upon seeing all the unprovoked injustices and damages inflicted on the Company, was so appalled that he directed the Attorney General to take necessary steps and settle the matter “in national interest”. Of course President Yar’ Adua had the power to order for Mr. Thompson to be arrested on trumped up charges and thereby silenced, or even extra judicially assassinated.

But he knew it would be ungodly to do so. His moral leadership and commitment to Equal Justice for All, regardless of ethnicity or religion, allayed the fears of many; and restored confidence in the Nigerian project. Hence, Interstella Communications Ltd and Obi Thompson accepted in good faith to forfeit more than fifty percent of the debt sums owed them, which became the Consent Judgment affirmed by the Supreme Court. Annexure 3 hereto is a letter dated 29th April 2009 from the Federal Ministry of Justice to the Hon Minister of Finance seeking a Supplementary budget provision to enable the FGN discharge its obligation timeously under the Consent Judgment. The letter also stated that the Judgment sum was reduced to less than fifty percent. (Nobody knows how the money was used when it was released after President Yar’ Adua took ill).

Annexure 4 hereto is a letter from the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology dated 26th January, 2005 in which the Ministry, in response to President Obasanjo’s directive (with Ref No. PRES/101 dated 9th November, 2004 to evaluate what the Company had done and make necessary recommendations), commended the efforts of Interstella Communications and even recommended that NITEL be directed to release certain critical national communications infrastructures to the Company. It is no accident that it was after NITEL received the recommendations in favor of the Company, that the illicit decision to destroy Interstella Communications Ltd and Obi Thompson’s investment in building the network was made.

Certainly, from the above records and accounts, Mr ObI B. Thompson has endured a lot in silence over the years and has not disclosed some of the documents hereto annexed before now. He has asked that You, Sirs, take necessary steps to deter whoever is making the threat of dressing the Supreme Court Judgment in their favor, with the same tattered rags of the P&ID controversy. It is his view that such prank would neither be in Nigeria’s national interest nor kill the matter, even if he is silenced one way or the other by whoever is so inclined. Indeed, it is much cheaper to simply pay the debt than try any such pranks.

It is also very well known to both the CBN and the FGN that proximate and causative to their wicked conducts, is the near complete destruction and death of MR. OBI THOMPSON. On the Records of Courts are ignored medical reports of experts warning of a need for Mr. Thompson to receive “immediate intensive specialist cardiovascular with neurological offshore care to avert an impending major breakdown”; after suffering a second stroke. He has been suffering a host of psychological damage sicknesses: depression, trauma, emotional distress, nervousness, feeling humiliated and being always in pains, etc. All these are caused by the prejudiced actions of the CBN and FGN who UNREASONABLY subjected him to over 8 years of bad faith frivolous litigation, after the FGN had voluntarily taken over NITEL’s debts. A human being that has endured this level of inhumanity does not need to be harassed further by any entity (for no other reason than seeking to collect the debts owed him to enable him put his life together at his sunset days). The toll that the continuing dispute over his withheld rights has taken on his life (from 2004 to date), is not what anyone wishes for himself at his old age.

A man whose health is so damaged and rendered fragile, a man who is deliberately pauperized by illicit acts of the Nigerian state, is certainly in no position to finance IPOB. It will be a deliberate fraudulent charge that will serve no other purpose than to continue to torture him to death. All those making such threat must be mindful of what they intend to accomplish. All Mr. Thompson did is call public attention to his plight. Of course, anyone who disputes anything he said either in his letter to the CBN Governor dated 2nd September, 2019 (which he made public), or statements in the press conference, should PUBLICLY deny it. He has therefore instructed me to appeal for you, Sirs, to collectively and individually take responsibility for seeing that no harm of any sort comes his way. This Appeal will also be made public.

Mr. Thompson is aware of recent incidents of some unknown entities planting drugs and or other illegal items in people’s luggage(s), (AFTER SUCH LUGGAGES HAVE (PRESUMABLY) BEEN SEARCHED AND CLEARED BY NIGERIAN SECURITY AGENTS), only for the passenger to be arrested at the destination upon some banned substances or items being found in the same luggages (allegedly) cleared by Nigeria Security operatives. He is of the opinion that collaboration, complicity and or conspiracy by a Nigerian Security agent, must be present in such situation. He fears that whoever is behind the threats being made to him may have the capacity to procure the participation of an operative of a Nigerian security apparatus to do a similar thing to him. Therefore, he hereby appeals that instructions be given at all Nigerian airports, to make sure his luggage(s) are properly cleared before he boards any flight.

It is MR THOMPSON’s instruction (being a U.S citizen), that I, by a copy of this letter, notify the US Embassy in Nigeria, of the aforesaid threats and to include the documents hereto annexed. He has requested that same be done with respect to the UK High Commission in Nigeria and Representative of the European Union.

Please accept my warmest and most respectful regards.

Tony Nnadi, Esq.
Coordinating Counsel For Judgment Creditors in the Enforcement of the Supreme Court Judgment In SC.500/2014, Delivered December 15, 2017,

COPIED (TO THE UNITED STATES EMBASSY, ABUJA (ALONG WITH ALL ANNEXURES); THE UK HIGH COMMISSIONER AND EU REPRESETATIVE IN NIGERIA; THE GOVERNOR, CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA.