Tarila Okah, the daughter of Mr. Charles Okah, currently undergoing trial for the 2010 bomb explosions in Abuja, in this online interview with FIDELIS SORIWEI talks about her father, his relationship with the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration, among other issues
You just wrote a court in Abuja to expedite the ongoing trial of your father. Why did you decide to write the judge?
As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. My family needs my father. This ordeal has gone on for far too long. He’s missing many family milestones; he’s missing experiencing his children growing up. The pain for all is unbearable. For others like the judge and the public at large, there is no emotional attachment to the case; hence it’s easier to care less as the case lingers on. But for my family, it is too much to bear especially when one knows that he is innocent.
Why didn’t you write through your father’s lawyer? He told the court that he was not aware of the move you made.
I feel bad that I circumvented due process. In hindsight I should have informed the lawyer of my intentions. But it did not even cross my mind at the time. I just wanted to get to the judge desperately. The clock is ticking and I felt that was my last resort. As soon as I thought of the idea, I wrote the letter and headed straight to the post office without really consulting anyone.
I was shocked by the cost of mailing that piece of paper light as a feather. It is the most expensive thing I have ever mailed, but also the most important. I thought what did I have to lose? In no way am I asking the judge to pervert justice. Never! All I want is for the trial to wrap up soon. I think it’s only fair. I will be utterly distraught if my father, who is alive, can’t walk me down the aisle on my wedding day.
What are the issues you have with the ongoing trial and do you think your father will not get justice in the Nigerian judicial system?
The delay. I’m usually told about each proceeding. And sometimes I’m amazed (not in a good way) about the whole thing. Some of the so-called witnesses the prosecution has brought are laughable at best, and upsetting at worst. At this point, it appears the prosecution feels it has come too far to give up. And so to save face, it is coming up with all sort of unrelated approaches. It is pretty pathetic. I wish the trial was being aired on TV for the country to watch so they could see for themselves that the charges against him are clearly trumped up. However, I choose not to be a pessimist. I choose to have faith in the judicial system.
What do you do in Canada?
I left Nigeria after I finished secondary school 12 years ago. I just completed my Masters degree, and I now work for a technology company.
What kind of person is your father?
My father is very hardworking, smart and calm. He has a good sense of humour. He never raised his hands on us whenever we fell short. His disciplinary approach was always to talk to us and advise us and sometimes ground us. He never believed in beating his children or inflicting physical harm to get his point across. In the same light, he will never believe in orchestrating a grievous attack on the nation, and in effect taking lives, in order to get a point across. That is not who he is.
What was your response and indeed the response of your siblings when he was arrested in connection with the 2010 Abuja bombings that resulted in the killing of several people?
It did not make sense. I could not connect the dots (but as I have now found out, there are indeed no dots to connect). I had questions, I needed answers. I have been following the case intently to see what evidence they have. So far, nothing credible! My younger siblings, were shielded from it. All they knew was that daddy had gone away and he would be back soon. They have lost their sense of what ‘soon’ really means.
Do you think your father is innocent?
Absolutely. Without a doubt. Any unbiased observer who has gone to most of the court proceedings will easily see why. It is only during a fair trial in an impartial court that the so-called evidence will be revealed. It is then we will determine if the evidence being brought has any relationship or relevance to the charges of treason and terrorism levelled against my father or if what they have been holding onto for the past five years have been nothing more than fabricated lies.
Why would people implicate him if you think he is not involved in the incident?
Let’s not play naive. This is Nigeria we are talking about. Anything can happen. Anything goes. When people in positions of authority and power want something, they will pull whatever strings they need to and implicate whoever they want. Things went sour between my uncle and the government for reasons unknown to me. Knowing how close my dad is to his brother, he was the perfect bargaining chip. My dad refused to accept the terms of negotiations from the past government in exchange for his freedom. Now he’s paying the price for not biting into the rotten system.
What was your father’s relationship with the former administration?
Can he be said to have had a relationship with former President Goodluck Jonathan? If he did, at what point did they fall apart?
I didn’t even know they had a relationship, if any. Like I said, I left Nigeria 12 years ago.
Did he have a relationship with militant groups in the Niger Delta and politicians?
I’m not sure what kind of relationship he would have with militant groups. My dad is a legitimate businessman who is always looking out for opportunities to expand his business. I know he had had relationships with politicians and governments in the past with regards to contracts for his business. Most recently (before his arrest), he was looking forward to securing a contract for building floating docks in the Niger Delta region and bringing some semblance of development to the area.
What are your misgivings about the judicial system?
Sadly, the Nigerian judicial system is not always very reliable. If I’m being completely honest, sometimes I get very concerned and worried. The prosecution never brought its case before the court bona fide in the first place, instead it is relying on assumptions, hear-say, wild conjecture, and a shoddy investigation. I just hope that at the end of all these, an innocent citizen would be seen vindicated, discharged and acquitted. Then, justice would have prevailed. Above all, my faith is stronger than my worry thus, all I have to do is pray and let go.
What is your message to the government and Nigerians?
His arrest was not warranted. Since they chose to prosecute him, I would have hoped they would get right to the point and lay out all their evidence in a clear and concise manner, rather than manipulating random people into testifying and formulating a watery case. In an ideal world, they will own up to messing up and apologise for the wrongful arrest. But we know that this will never happen. They impounded his goods of legitimate import at the time of his arrest and have still refused to release them even after their search of the containers amounted to nothing. I encourage Nigerians to slow to condemn, but quick to intellectually observe, ask questions, and gather facts. Unfortunately, In Nigeria, the mere act of filing charges – even trumped up charges – carries along with it a strong presumption of guilt. Many Nigerians lack a strong comprehension of the concept of innocent until proven guilty. The average Nigerian is generally quick to castigate and throw stones. The government presents someone as a scapegoat and instead of asking questions and seeking to gather the facts; they rely on hearsay and make very strong opinions based on things that the government leads them to believe, forgetting that this is Nigeria, where corruption on different scales runs high. At the end of the day, my prayer is that this ordeal is over very soon. Thank you for reaching out to me. May God bless our beloved country.
