Posted by From Tunde Oyedoyin on
THE escape of the Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha from the United Kingdom was yesterday described by one of his aides in London as a "Mafia operation."
THE escape of the Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha from the United Kingdom was yesterday described by one of his aides in London as a "Mafia operation."
The aide, who pleaded anonymity, said: "It's mostly likely he might have disguised himself as a pregnant woman."
The Guardian was told that he "arrived in Port Harcourt around 4.00 a.m., this morning (yesterday.)
Although the news of his escape was described as "most surprising," by his former lawyer, Tayo Arowojolu, who said he first learnt of the twist through The Guardian, another very close associate of the governor said "it might have the collaboration of the British authorities."
The governor's confidant said: "Since the time the Attorney-General of the Federation, Bayo Ojo came in, the British started having suspicions that this is more than a criminal case, so they may have relaxed their surveillance on the man."
The confidant added: "The government scored an own-goal since Ojo came to say they were opposed to him returning to Nigeria. This is something the British government wouldn't do to any of its citizens under any conditions. So I think they started having sympathy for the man."
The news of his escape also appeared to have hit his new solicitor, Peter Binning, like a thunderbolt. He simply said: "I'm not making any comments at this time," when The Guardian called in the morning, asking if he had spoken to his client since appearing at the Royal Courts of Justice last Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) told The Guardian that the money laundering case is not closed, despite the governor's jumping bail. CPS spokeswoman, Anabelle Mcmillan, told The Guardian: "We were told by the Metropolitan Police this morning that Mr. Alamieyeseigha was back in Nigeria. This is not the end of the matter. We have a number of options available to us which we are currently considering. For operational reasons, we are not willing to discuss those options."