It was an unusual sight Friday afternoon when hundreds of Nigerians evoking their support for Chief James Onanefe Ibori stormed a London court where his trial started. 

Sporting “Free Ibori” and “Deltans want Ibori back home” T-shirts, some of such supporters claimed to have travelled all the way from Nigeria to the UK to demonstrate their support for the politician. 

 Attending Friday’s preliminary hearing which started by 12 noon, Ibori sported a dark blue suit and white shirt as he appeared before Judge Rivlin QC. 

Ibori only spoke to confirm his name. Looking trim and clean shaven, Ibori waved to his supporters at the end of hearing. The crowd waved back as shouts of ****Ogidigborigbo**** rent the air.

 Opening the hearing, the lead prosecuting counsel, MS Wass, explained that there are two trials to be conducted against Ibori. She asked the court for the trials to be joined. 

Stating that “this is a fairly straightforward case,” she argued that since Ibori’s counsel was already seized of the matter having the defence counsel in the Udoamaka Okoronkwo case, there is no reason why the matter could not be concluded before Christmas.

She asked the Court to handle the first matter for July and the second hearing in November. After going for a short recess, the Court set the next hearing date for July 22 2011, by 10 am.

Ibori had appeared at the City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court on April 22 2011 and next appeared at Southwark Crown Court on April  28 2011 through video link. The Judge adjourned the matter and ordered that Ibori appear in person today.

 Court security had problem with the number of Ibori’s supporters as they were asked severally to leave as the public gallery was too small for such a large crowd. 

Even when the Court security asked all the standing supporters who could not be seated to leave, they refused to leave until the Security personnel threatened to use force to eject them.

 One of the supporters, a Nigerian-British citizen resident in the UK, Ms Elizabeth Ogunsanya said, “whatever crime Ibori may have committed should be heard in Nigeria and not in British courts.”