President Tinubu meets James Ibori, convicted of massive fraud, jailed in UK, photos emerge

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday, July 12, met privately with former governor of Delta state, James Ibori, in Abuja.

Earlier in the same day, Ibori was part of the ‘Class of ‘99’ governors who met with President Tinubu at the presidential villa, Daily Independent reported.

President Bola Tinubu meets James Ibori, former Delta governor

Details of the meeting between President Tinubu and Ibori remain unclear.

In 2012, Ibori was jailed in the UK for 10 counts of fraud worth a total of nearly £50 million.

According to prosecutors, he stole an estimated $165m from the oil-rich state.

Police in Britain began to take an interest in Ibori in 2005 after they came across a purchase order for a private jet, made through his lawyer in London.

He was arrested in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2010 and extradited to the UK.

After his release in 2016, Ibori was immediately placed in immigration detention. He appealed against his conviction, alleging misconduct by British police and prosecutors which he argued tainted the judicial process.

He won the case, but was awarded just £1 compensation, BBC reported.

Before his jail sentence in the UK, when he worked at a Wickes store in Ruislip area of London and married his wife, Theresa, the couple were arrested for stealing from the store in 1990 and fined £300.

A year later Ibori was convicted of handling a stolen credit card and fined £100 before he moved back to Nigeria and got a job as a “policy consultant” for Nigerian leader, Sani Abacha’s government.