THE GOOD, BAD AND THE ARGENTINA EXPERIENCES
By Victor Damilare Erinfolami
The International Bar Association Conference of 2008 held in Buenos Aires, Argentina has come and gone but left many delegates with unforgettable experiences, just as all manners of robbery and theft were used as hospitality tool for the attendees.
The International Bar Association was established in 1947 with over 30, 000 members and 195 Bar Association Memberships and Law Societies spanning all the continents of the world. IBA organizes a yearly conference that all lawyers and law practitioners love to attend due to the benefit accruing to them by participation. Ranging from different seminars, paper presentations, brainstorming sessions and professional networking among other benefits.
According to statistics released by Thisday Lawyer of 28th October 2008, among 4, 400 delegates at the 2008 conference, Nigeria was one of the top three that has the highest number of delegates ranking among countries like United States of America and Argentina. Total members of Nigerian delegates registered for the event was put at 550. The total delegates of 4, 400 persons from 117 countries has over 80 percent as males with 20 percent females and this number put the attendance higher by 10 percent compared to the Singapore IBA Conference of 2007.
The IBA general conference which kicks off at about 6pm on Sunday 12th of October, 2008 with a keynote address by eminent economist, Hernand De Soto, was suppose to be one of the best ever with many Nigerian lawyers bagging Awards and getting appointed into highly placed positions in the International Bar Association but the reverse became the case just as robberies and theft was reported by many innocent minded delegates.
While narrating his ordeal in the hands of the Argentine armed robbers, Mr. Jonathan Ikiebe recounted how he and a colleague got to Argentina after the 12 hours trip from Nigeria, full of life and enthusiasm, only to get into the reality of tantalizing Argentines hospitality.
Mr. Ikiebe who is a Nigerian Lawyer narrated that he got to Argentina for the IBA Conference two days earlier by 10th October at exactly 8:30pm Argentines time, with instructions to delegates to get information from the information boot only where he and his friend got direction to the hill-fated Airport Shuttle in which they were robbed in transit by two daredevil armed robbers.
Mr. Ikiebe said the robbery session began with two men from the rear seats pulling down the bus curtains, this which rose Passengers apprehension until there was an announcement in Spanish to the driver first and later to the passengers, which definitely seem to mean “submit your belongings now or else blah blah blah”. This saw everyone giving their jewelry, money, wallets, shoes and other valuables to the robbers as they approach the passenger seat by seat to harvest where they have not sowed.
The Nigerian lawyer said he only manage to cleverly hide some money from the robbers who are shooting sporadically and even hit an obstinate passenger with the butt of their gun. He recounts that the robbers did a second round raiding on all passengers before they eventually announce to the non-challant bus driver in Spanish to stop and made away with their loot in a waiting van after about 15 minutes of unchallenged robbery.
Mr. Ikiebe lamented that the Argentine Security Agents were not much of help, ”when we got to the Police Station unlike in Nigeria where if such thing happens, one will expect that the Police will be hard on the driver, firstly, the Police will ask “how did those guys manage to board your vehicle with guns on them without you detecting? Where did they get the tickets to board the bus? Did they enter the airport with guns without being detected? This were questions that I would have expected them to ask the driver at the Police Station but that was not the case, he was just there with us until 3:00am when we are taken to the hotel. I don’t know what transpired after, apparently the driver was a free man” he lamented.
Narrating another incident, Mr. Jonathan Ikiebe said one Mr. Banabas from Uganda was also a victim of the robberies. He said, according to Banabas, he was only robbed of his wrist watch and was wounded in the process of the robbery.
Another Nigerian lawyer, Mr. Taiwo Adeoluwa was also said to have been robbed opposite Sheraton Hotel in Buenos Aires. Story has it that an unknown man asked him of what time it is and in the process of adjusting to check what time it is, two other men came and took off his wrist watch by force and ran out to a waiting bike that took them away.
Also disclosed was the case of theft in one five star hotel, where it was reported by an undisclosed delegate that her bag was cut into, unknowingly by probably an hotel staff and valuables were removed.
A female Justice in the NBA Lagos branch was also touched by the crafty miscreants who took her purse away. Story has it that while she was site seeing in a shopping mall a certain person just pour on her a substance that stains her clothe and ran away and another came trying to help her clean-up. Unaware that her purse was stolen in that process until she wanted to buy a drink and could not find her purse.
Mr. Jonathan Ikiebe, compared the crime rate in Nigeria and Argentina, saying that the Nigeria security situation is much better than that of Argentina. Citting examples of the robbery cases, that there is no way an armed robber can rob successfully in a restaurant or in a shopping mall without being cut in the act by Nigeria Security Agents. He eulogises the average Nigerians saying that they prefer to work for their income rather than rob others. Also submitted that in Nigeria there is only few areas that are identified as black spots and that those are not the high brow areas like Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina.
The efforts of the NBA President Mr. Oluwarotimi Akenedolu, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Argentina, Mr. Emperor Kanu, , Editor of Thisday Lawyer,Mrs. Funke Aboyade and Mr. and Mrs. Oluyede of the TRLPLAW ,was recounted by the victim saying that it really brought succour to them. He spoke specifically of the largesse from Mr. and Mrs. Oluyede, the sympathy and help offered by the Nigerian Embassy in Argentina at helping to get a new traveling documents to replace the one stolen in the robbery attack.
Comparing the 2008 Argentina’s Conference with that of 2007 in Singapore, Mr. Ikiebe said the Buenos Aries Conference was of quality, and that their was standard organization and the participation was high but he still prefers that of Singapore because the atmosphere and reception was not as hostile as that of Buenos Aires.
He spoke further that though their was high level of insecurity but the conference really benefits him in the area of professional liason with colleagues in the same area of practice from other part of the world, explaining that, for instance anyone specializing on company law will benefit from other participants practicing same in other country thus given the individual participant a wider perspective of their area of specialty and attending sessions on area of specialization also benefits delegates. Said “it was a forum to network”.
By Victor Damilare Erinfolami
The International Bar Association Conference of 2008 held in Buenos Aires, Argentina has come and gone but left many delegates with unforgettable experiences, just as all manners of robbery and theft were used as hospitality tool for the attendees.
The International Bar Association was established in 1947 with over 30, 000 members and 195 Bar Association Memberships and Law Societies spanning all the continents of the world. IBA organizes a yearly conference that all lawyers and law practitioners love to attend due to the benefit accruing to them by participation. Ranging from different seminars, paper presentations, brainstorming sessions and professional networking among other benefits.
According to statistics released by Thisday Lawyer of 28th October 2008, among 4, 400 delegates at the 2008 conference, Nigeria was one of the top three that has the highest number of delegates ranking among countries like United States of America and Argentina. Total members of Nigerian delegates registered for the event was put at 550. The total delegates of 4, 400 persons from 117 countries has over 80 percent as males with 20 percent females and this number put the attendance higher by 10 percent compared to the Singapore IBA Conference of 2007.
The IBA general conference which kicks off at about 6pm on Sunday 12th of October, 2008 with a keynote address by eminent economist, Hernand De Soto, was suppose to be one of the best ever with many Nigerian lawyers bagging Awards and getting appointed into highly placed positions in the International Bar Association but the reverse became the case just as robberies and theft was reported by many innocent minded delegates.
While narrating his ordeal in the hands of the Argentine armed robbers, Mr. Jonathan Ikiebe recounted how he and a colleague got to Argentina after the 12 hours trip from Nigeria, full of life and enthusiasm, only to get into the reality of tantalizing Argentines hospitality.
Mr. Ikiebe who is a Nigerian Lawyer narrated that he got to Argentina for the IBA Conference two days earlier by 10th October at exactly 8:30pm Argentines time, with instructions to delegates to get information from the information boot only where he and his friend got direction to the hill-fated Airport Shuttle in which they were robbed in transit by two daredevil armed robbers.
Mr. Ikiebe said the robbery session began with two men from the rear seats pulling down the bus curtains, this which rose Passengers apprehension until there was an announcement in Spanish to the driver first and later to the passengers, which definitely seem to mean “submit your belongings now or else blah blah blah”. This saw everyone giving their jewelry, money, wallets, shoes and other valuables to the robbers as they approach the passenger seat by seat to harvest where they have not sowed.
The Nigerian lawyer said he only manage to cleverly hide some money from the robbers who are shooting sporadically and even hit an obstinate passenger with the butt of their gun. He recounts that the robbers did a second round raiding on all passengers before they eventually announce to the non-challant bus driver in Spanish to stop and made away with their loot in a waiting van after about 15 minutes of unchallenged robbery.
Mr. Ikiebe lamented that the Argentine Security Agents were not much of help, ”when we got to the Police Station unlike in Nigeria where if such thing happens, one will expect that the Police will be hard on the driver, firstly, the Police will ask “how did those guys manage to board your vehicle with guns on them without you detecting? Where did they get the tickets to board the bus? Did they enter the airport with guns without being detected? This were questions that I would have expected them to ask the driver at the Police Station but that was not the case, he was just there with us until 3:00am when we are taken to the hotel. I don’t know what transpired after, apparently the driver was a free man” he lamented.
Narrating another incident, Mr. Jonathan Ikiebe said one Mr. Banabas from Uganda was also a victim of the robberies. He said, according to Banabas, he was only robbed of his wrist watch and was wounded in the process of the robbery.
Another Nigerian lawyer, Mr. Taiwo Adeoluwa was also said to have been robbed opposite Sheraton Hotel in Buenos Aires. Story has it that an unknown man asked him of what time it is and in the process of adjusting to check what time it is, two other men came and took off his wrist watch by force and ran out to a waiting bike that took them away.
Also disclosed was the case of theft in one five star hotel, where it was reported by an undisclosed delegate that her bag was cut into, unknowingly by probably an hotel staff and valuables were removed.
A female Justice in the NBA Lagos branch was also touched by the crafty miscreants who took her purse away. Story has it that while she was site seeing in a shopping mall a certain person just pour on her a substance that stains her clothe and ran away and another came trying to help her clean-up. Unaware that her purse was stolen in that process until she wanted to buy a drink and could not find her purse.
Mr. Jonathan Ikiebe, compared the crime rate in Nigeria and Argentina, saying that the Nigeria security situation is much better than that of Argentina. Citting examples of the robbery cases, that there is no way an armed robber can rob successfully in a restaurant or in a shopping mall without being cut in the act by Nigeria Security Agents. He eulogises the average Nigerians saying that they prefer to work for their income rather than rob others. Also submitted that in Nigeria there is only few areas that are identified as black spots and that those are not the high brow areas like Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina.
The efforts of the NBA President Mr. Oluwarotimi Akenedolu, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Argentina, Mr. Emperor Kanu, , Editor of Thisday Lawyer,Mrs. Funke Aboyade and Mr. and Mrs. Oluyede of the TRLPLAW ,was recounted by the victim saying that it really brought succour to them. He spoke specifically of the largesse from Mr. and Mrs. Oluyede, the sympathy and help offered by the Nigerian Embassy in Argentina at helping to get a new traveling documents to replace the one stolen in the robbery attack.
Comparing the 2008 Argentina’s Conference with that of 2007 in Singapore, Mr. Ikiebe said the Buenos Aries Conference was of quality, and that their was standard organization and the participation was high but he still prefers that of Singapore because the atmosphere and reception was not as hostile as that of Buenos Aires.
He spoke further that though their was high level of insecurity but the conference really benefits him in the area of professional liason with colleagues in the same area of practice from other part of the world, explaining that, for instance anyone specializing on company law will benefit from other participants practicing same in other country thus given the individual participant a wider perspective of their area of specialty and attending sessions on area of specialization also benefits delegates. Said “it was a forum to network”.
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