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Alamieyeseigha bundled back for meeting with Abubakar Atiku in Dubai
ECONOMIC and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may have bundled the ailing former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha from a Dubai hospital in the United Arab Emirate (UAE) to Lagos on Tuesday over alleged security breach.
One of Alamieyeseigha’s counsel, Chief Mike Ozekhome confirmed the return of his client from UAE but maintained that he did not breach any security. He said he was not aware of Atiku’s visit.
Also reacting, National Publicity Secretary of the Action Congress (AC), Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said even if Atiku had met Alamieyeseigha in Dubai recently, "it does not amount to security breach."
He, however, said he was not aware of the visit, adding that "condemned prisoners have visiting right."
According to him, if Atiku had visited the ex-governor, it would be ridiculous to describe such a visit as security breach.
"I don’t have the facts, I don’t know the bail conditions. If a man is abroad and is sick, I find it extremely strange for him not to receive visitors," Mohammed said.
Several calls to EFCC spokesman, Mr Osita Nwajah by Daily Champion as at 11.10 p.m. yesterday were not okayed.
It was further learnt that EFCC may force Alamieyeseigha to appear in court today in continuation of his trial for alleged money laundering.
A relation of Alamieyeseigha’s who does not want his name in print told our reporter last night that the former governor still has an unidentified foreign object in his body and that he was not well before being bundled back to Nigeria from UAE.
He said the alleged maltreatment of Alamieyeseigha would be resisted as the EFCC has no right to forcefully discharge the former governor from the hospital without a doctor’s permission.
Following the deteriorating health of Alamieyeseigha, a Federal High Court Lagos ordered the EFCC to allow the former governor to seek medical treatment abroad.
He subsequently travelled to Dubai last month and was said to be responding to treatment.
It would be recalled that Alamieyeseigha was impeached by the state House of Assembly for jumping bail in London on December 12, 2005.
He was consequently handcuffed and arraigned on December 21, 2005 before a Federal High Court Lagos on 40-count charge of money laundering filed by EFCC.
Among the allegations preferred against him in the charges dated December 19, 2005, was that himself and a company, Solomon & Peters Ltd, between October 1999 and December 2003, converted £241 million (N60.7billion) from Lagos to London to buy the properties at a Flat 202 Jubilee Heights, Shoot Uphill London NW23 UQ.
Seven other companies that are to be tried alongside Alamieyeseigha are, Solomon & Peters Ltd, Santolina Investment Corporation, Pesol Nigeria Ltd, Salomein and Associates (Nig) Ltd., Kpedefa Nigeria Ltd, Jetty Properties Ltd and Herbage Global Services Ltd.
Alamieyeseigha and Herbage Global Services Ltd were also alleged to have between January 2005 and September 2005, in the Lagos judicial division of the Federal High Court, converted the sum of N1.5billion to buy a property known as Chelsea Hotel, Abuja
Daily Champion learnt that the security breach was anchored on alleged visit of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to Alamieyeseigha in UAE recently.
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