Okah’s wife planned to kidnap Angolan envoy – Witness

Posted by admin Africa & World Politics, Headlines Thursday, October 4th, 2012

Another prosecution witness on Thursday said Henry Okah gave instructions for the October 1, 2010, twin car bombings in Abuja.

The witness said he was a member of the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta having joined the group in 2006.

The third prosecution witness, who simply introduced himself as Stanley at the ongoing trial of Okah at the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg, South Africa, said Okah gave instruction for the attacks in Abuja during the independence anniversary celebrations.

Stanley told the court that he was introduced to Okah in 2006 and was instructed to always refer to Okah as “Master’’.

“I overheard Okah on numerous occasions discussing the purchase of weapons, and in 2007 he contacted me asking me to pass a message to the other leaders to do whatever it takes to get him out of jail

“His wife, Azuka also devised a plan to kidnap the Angolan Ambassador in Nigeria to bargain for his release,’’ Stanley said.

He said in January 2010, Okah instructed him to get an empty apartment he wanted to use to assemble car bombs.

Answering Prosecutor’s question about whether he had knowledge of the October bombing, he said he knew about it two days before it happened.

“A friend, Raphael Danfebo, told me Okah wanted to carry out the terror attack and gave instructions for two cars to be sent to Abuja on October1,” Stanley said.

Okah is facing 13 counts of terrorism, planning and financing car explosions.

An online medium, City Press, also reports that Stanley, whose identity is being protected by the court after he was kidnapped and threatened, told the court that Okah allegedly plotted to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea to use it as a transit point for arms smuggling.

Stanley told the court that he had overheard a conversation in which Okah had discussed overthrowing the government of Equatorial Guinnea.

“He (Okah) was talking to a chap on the phone, he was talking about overthrowing Equatorial Guineas’s government’,” Stanley said.

-Punchwp_posts