STAR Radio, August 11, 2010
By Julius Kanubah.
A former spokesman of ex-Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has broken silence over what led to the departure and arrest of ex-President Charles Taylor.
In a detailed article, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode blamed President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and former US President George Bush for betraying Charles Taylor.
According to him, President Sirleaf was the real traitor of Charles Taylor after she decided to violate the asylum deal that took the ex-Liberian President to Nigeria.
The former Nigerian Presidential spokesman said the decision of President Sirleaf to request the return of Taylor to Liberia in 2006 was the betrayal of the century.
He said President Sirleaf’s action reflected nothing but that she was an ingrate and American puppet.
Chief Kayode claimed having been seen as the Nigerian and American candidate in the 2005 elections, President Sirleaf betrayed Taylor for international aid.
In the article titled “Charles Taylor: A man betrayed”, Chief Kayode also insisted ex-Nigerian President Obasanjo should not be blamed for Taylor’s arrest.
He said amidst the pressure President Obasanjo only made a mistake to drop Charles Taylor to a border point where he was arrested and transferred to Liberia.
The article by Mr. Fani-Kayode comes seven years after the resignation of Charles Taylor who is standing war crimes trial in The Hague.
Meanwhile, Presidential Press Secretary Cyrus Badio says the Liberian Presidency would not comment on the article because of the ongoing trial of Charles Taylor.