AMBASSADOR, AG DISCUSS COUNTERTERRORISM DURING

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABUJA 000403 SIPDIS SIPDIS DOE FOR PERSON E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/15/2018 TAGS: PTER PGOV PREL PINR NI SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR, AG DISCUSS COUNTERTERRORISM DURING MEETING ON PFIZER REF: A. ABUJA 340 ¶B. 2007 ABUJA 2513 ¶C. 2007 ABUJA 2619 Classified By: Political Counselor Walter Pflaumer for reasons 1.4. (b & d). ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Ambassador and EconCouns met with Attorney General and Minister of Justice Chief Michael Kaase Aondoakaa and Solicitor General/Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice Prof. I.A. Ayua on February 7 to discuss the Pfizer case (reported ref A) and Nigerian counterterrorism (CT) efforts. The AG expressed his intention to reintroduce CT legislation soon and consider adoption of the UN Conventions on Terrorism. On Pfizer, he agreed in principle to work to achieve an out of court settlement with the drug company. A first Federal AG-Pfizer meeting is scheduled to take place March 5 with the presence of the Kano State AG. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) The Ambassador and Attorney General (AG) Aondoakaa discussed mutual concerns about cross border terrorism. The AG related how his office had introduced CT legislation but then pulled it back in order to "upgrade" it. Of specific concern to the AG was the risk to Nigerian oil and gas infrastructure, particularly in the Niger Delta. (Note: The GON has never ratified the United Nations Conventions on Terrorism, including the 1988 "Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf," i.e. offshore oil rigs.) The AG expressed regret for a November 12 attack on Cameroonian soldiers in the Bakassi Peninsula, which he termed a "criminal act assisted by militant groups." (ref B) The AG acknowledged the importance of stiffening penalties for terrorist related activities, and said that the UN Conventions on Terrorism were at the forefront of his thinking. "We want to be terror free," he stated. ¶3. (C) The AG described the collaborative effort between the State Security Service (SSS),who would be responsible for implementation and enforcement of any terrorism legislation, and the AG who would prosecute any cases, but noted the limitations posed by the SSS whose agents routinely decline to testify in court. He also mentioned ongoing consultations between the AG, SSS and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on CT matters. (Note: The EFCC is included in the discussion because, at present, the only statutes under which to prosecute terrorism cases are a part of the EFCC Act.) The Ambassador reiterated USG willingness to assist with technical assistance as necessary, and encouraged Nigeria's active participation in the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP). ¶4. (SBU) COMMENT: Post has regular informal discussions with diplomats from the UK, Australian, Canadian and French Missions to coordinate efforts to press the GON to pass CT legislation (ref C). We will track and report on CT legislation, once introduced, and will continue to urge the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, members of the National Assembly, the AG's office and other relevant parties to work toward the overdue ratification of the UN Conventions on Terrorism. END COMMENT. SANDERS