Posted by Reuters on
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (Reuters) - A Nigerian state governor charged with money laundering in Britain has skipped bail and resurfaced in his home state to a triumphant welcome, officials said on Monday.
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria (Reuters) - A Nigerian state governor charged with money laundering in Britain has skipped bail and resurfaced in his home state to a triumphant welcome, officials said on Monday.
Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, governor of oil-producing Bayelsa state in the southern Niger Delta, was charged with laundering 1.8 million pounds in September and was given bail on condition that he did not travel abroad.
"The governor is back and at his desk working ... As he drove into town, the streets were lined with crowds of people waving white handkerchiefs and jubilating," said Oronto Douglas, a commissioner in the Bayelsa state government.
"He came into government house, knelt down and prayed. Then he addressed thousands thanking the Ijaw people for bringing him back."
The Ijaw are the dominant ethnic group in the Niger Delta. Alamieyeseigha's detention in Britain was interpreted by many Ijaw as a slight on them.