Ibori sentenced to 13 years

Former Wickes cashier and governor of Delta state in Nigeria has been sent to jail for 13 years for money laundering and fraud, where he managed to get his hands on £50 million from some of the poorest people in the world. James Ibori was convicted of stealing in 1991 when he let his wife take materials from the store without paying. He then went to Nigeria to work his way up the ladder in the People's Democratic Party and ran for governor. When he ran for governor he lied about his age and date of birth because if it had been discovered that he had a criminal conviction he would not be allowed to run for governor. From the money that he had stolen he bought Ibori bought:

• A house in Hampstead, north London, for £2.2m

• A property in Shaftesbury, Dorset, for £311,000

• A £3.2m mansion in Sandton, near Johannesburg, South Africa

• A fleet of armoured Range Rovers valued at £600,000

• A £120,000 Bentley

• A Mercedes Maybach for 407,000 euros that was shipped direct to his mansion in South Africa

Ibori's loyal servant, and London lawyer, Bhadrash Gohil's house was searched by Met police and they uncovered evidence behind the fire place. Mr Ibori then fled to Dubai where he was arrested on arrival by the Met. The fact that Mr Ibori was trying to buy a jet worth £20 million is rather comical but only adds to the already tarnished reputation he has. Along with Gohil and Ibori, his sister, spouse and mistress were arrested for money laundering.

Preceding Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher quit yesterday, saying that he regretted the slow pace of the investigation and prosecution of cases in Nigeria. He said that his investigation alone of Mr Ibori cost the British taxpayer £14 million. I have heard many people questioning whether it was in the UK's interest in light of this substantial cost to prosecute a man that had committed such little harm to the British people. However, I believe that it is in the public interest to investigate and prosecute this man. 

Although he has committed a small offence in Wickes some 20 years ago, he has robbed innocent people in Nigeria of their hard earned money whilst he has been living life in the fast lane. Having gone to school with one of his children and knowing their plans for the future, those plans will most likely be no more because of this. So not only has Mr Ibori stolen from millions of people in Nigeria, he has also robbed his children of their futures by providing them with a corrupted name and stolen money that he no longer has any rights to. He now doesn't have a penny to his name and will be leaving his children with nothing in the future all for the risk of gaining everything. 

Addiction

Addiction is a disease of the mind where the sufferer is dependant on a behaviour or/and substance. Drugs, alcohol and smoking can be substances that people are addicted to, but many never think that eating disorders come under this word. Those that are binge eaters, bulimics, anorexics, comfort eaters and bigorexics are going through addiction.

It's a controversial topic, one that gets many either angry or crying. Its an issue that I have come close to and one that if given the choice I would never go near again. When the family have to watch the addict go through so much physical and emotional pain and know that there is nothing they can do about it, that is when it gets tough. The sufferer wants to put them-self through that pain usually to punish themselves and to escape a traumatic experience in their past. If you've ever read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini you'll know what I mean when I say: "Because the past always claws its way out", and it's true - you're past will stay with you forever.

Most people believe that addicts are lazy, good for nothing homeless people that throw away their lives. This could not anger me more. They are not lazy, not all of them are homeless and everyone means something to someone, so they are not good for nothing, Out of the entire population 1/3 is an addict and only 1/18 addicts have access to treatment. You could one day be addicted to something too.

A lot of people say addiction is down to control and they'd be right, partially. When something has gone so wrong in your life that you feel you have lost all control and you have the gene then you are at a high risk of becoming one. Although, one may take the substance or behaviour up to gain control they eventually lose all control; the addiction controls the addict. One person who wishes to remain anonymous said: "It has taken over my life. You never expect it to happen to you and then when it does it just takes you round in this vicious circle that won't ever stop until you beat your addiction and trust me when I say this; it's hard. It's not all good will and positive thinking, it's so much more than that and something which I can't put into words".

It is for all the reasons above that I am cycling 280 miles from Padstow, Cornwall to Putney, London over three and a half days in August. I want to make it easier to access treatment for the addict and help for their family. I am doing it in aid of a charity called 'Action on Addiction'. It researches into everything about addiction, helps families, provides treatment and will train addicts when they have recovered to become addiction counsellors if they wish. Please sponsor me by going to www.justgiving.com/Harriet-Gilbey or text 'GILB50' and then '£ (amount)' to 70070. You will be making such a difference.