Obasanjo's Statement On Taylor's Disappearance

Statement by His Excellency, President Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR President, Federal Republic of Nigeria on the Circumstances Surrounding the Disappearance of Mr. Charles Taylor

I thought that it is important since I came into Washington late last night that before I see President George Bush this morning to let you know our concern about the disappearance since Monday evening of Charles Taylor of Liberia from Calabar, Nigeria, his abode for more than two years.

To put the issue in proper context, a few points need to be made about Mr. Charles Taylor and the Liberian situation.

As the peace negotiation was progressing in Accra in 2003, it was agreed that Mr. Taylor had to be persuaded to resign as President of Liberia and to voluntarily leave the country to give peace a chance and for the successful implementation of the Agreement up to the stage of democratic election of a new President.

Nigeria and other African Leaders took it upon themselves to persuade Mr. Taylor to accept to resign and to voluntarily leave his country. Nigeria offered to host him on behalf of West Africa and indeed Africa following due consultation with the UN and our development partners including the United States.

Without rescinding the earlier indictment, everyone turned a blind eye to get Mr. Taylor to peacefully leave Liberia. In fact, the then Chairman of ECOWAS, President John Kufuor, the out-going Chairman and incoming Chairman of the AU, Presidents Thabi Mbeki and Joachim Chissano escorted him to Nigeria in August 2003.

With the democratic election completed in Liberia and with President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf coming into power, it would seem that the Accra Peace Agreement had been fully and successfully concluded. President Johnson-Sirleaf formally requested to take custody of Mr. Taylor.

After consultation in the manner that preceded his being hosted in Nigeria, a positive response was given to President Johnson-Sirleaf on Saturday 25 March 2006.

To the utter dismay of the Federal Gopvernment of Nigeria and in abuse of our hospitality, Mr. Charles Taylor, former President of Liberia was discovered to have disappeared from Calabar, where he had lived for more than two years.

This was before the Government of Liberia could complete the arrangement to take Mr. Taylor into its custody as agreed.

Our immediate reaction was to launch an aggressive and comprehensive search for him especially as there are insinuations by both family members and his religious counselors of a possible abduction by former opponents from Liberia.

After ordering a full and comprehensive search within Nigeria and at our borders, we also took the following decisive steps.

1. An immediate arrest of all the security personnel detailed to protect Mr. Taylor.

2. An alert was issued to all immigration officers/security personal at our land border points, air and seaports.

3. Nigeria's neighbors were also notified seeking cooperation in relation to the prevailing situation.

4. A high-powered panel of inquiry headed by a Justice of the Court of Appeal to look into the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Mr. Taylor. The panel includes the Resident Representative of the UNDP in Nigeria and a member of the civil society.

It is important to state that Mr. Taylor's uncontrolled freedom can unsettle and destabilize the situation in Liberia and its neighbors thereby disrupting peace in West Africa and Africa.

It is also important to note that Mr. Taylor is neither a friend of the President of Nigeria nor that of its people.

I took great political risk in offering to host Mr. Taylor on behalf of the international community and humanity to avoid continued bloodshed in Liberia even in the face of allegations of his complicity in the death of some Nigerians in his country.

I want to appreciate the opportunity that my meeting with President Bush will afford to discuss bilateral issues and those of conflict resolution and development in Africa and particularly the issue of Mr. Taylor which looms ominously over the peace and security of Liberia, its neighbors, the West Africa sub-region and Africa.

I know how concerned President Bush is over the peace and security in our region of the world and we will continue to work together.

Of course, I have personally expended tremendous personal capital and resources of Nigeria in pursuit of peace and security in Africa and we will continue in that vein.

I will return home after my meeting with President Bush and my engagement in New York to ensure that the issue of the whereabouts of Mr. Taylor is relentlessly and vigorously pursued to its logical conclusion. I strongly believe that Taylor cannot escape from the watchful eyes and alertness of the Nigerian security agencies if he is alive and within Nigeria's borders.

[ Wednesday morning before meeting with President Bush, President Obasanjo expressed his satisfaction that Mr. Taylor was in custody and said he felt "vindicated" that Nigerian border guards had seized Mr. Taylor before he could escape.]