Posted by By Ndubuisi Francis on
The Economic and Financial Crimes Com-mission (EFCC) yesterday pressed ahead with its investigations into the escape of Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha from London where he was standing trial for money laundering, querying a Nigerian chartered airline company, Kings Air.
Paid Kings Airline $12,000 to evacuate ‘sick person' from Cote d'Ivoire
The Economic and Financial Crimes Com-mission (EFCC) yesterday pressed ahead with its investigations into the escape of Bayelsa State Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha from London where he was standing trial for money laundering, querying a Nigerian chartered airline company, Kings Air.
THISDAY investigations however revealed that the embattled governor flew into the country from Cote d'Ivoire, aboard one of the airline's aircraft owned by a former senator, Musa Adede.
Operatives of the EFCC had yesterday taken their investigations to Kings Air, following a lead that it assisted the embattled governor to jump bail and return to Nigeria on November 21.
The operatives, who arrived at the airline's office at the domestic wing of the Murtala Mohammed Airport, Lagos round 2pm were, however, said to have met a brick wall as none of the company's top executives was available for questioning.
But THISDAY authoritatively reports that Alamieyeseigha was flown into Nigeria in the night of Sunday, November 20 aboard one of the airline's chartered aircraft flown by Captains Mobee Yinka and Toyin.
According to THISDAY sources, one Captain Yahaya Abubakar, a former Nigerian Police pilot, had gone to the airline's office in Lagos on November 20 to negotiate for a chartered aircraft to evacuate a 'sick person" from the West African country.
The airline officials according to information, did not suspect that they were about to be drawn into any crime since the deal was within its normal business activity, having helped to airlift the late Maj. Gen. Abdulkarim Adisa to London for medical attention after he had a road accident last year.
THISDAY learnt that Kings Air's officials, however, demanded for a medical certificate, which Abubakar reportedly promised to produce in Cote d'Ivoire, pleading that the evacuation was urgent as the life of the patient was in great danger.
After settling for $12,000 as charter fees, the airline was said to have released one of its aircraft, which was flown by two of its pilots, Mobee and Toyin. The aircraft was said to have left on Sunday afternoon, picked the 'patient," and flew him to Port Harcourt en route Lagos.
But the airline's management was said to have become suspicious of the transaction when the pilot upon return to base on Monday failed to produce the patient's medical certificate, forcing the airline to institute an internal investigation.
THISDAY sources said the internal investigation revealed, to the embarrassment of the management, that the said patient was Alamieyeseigha who was supposed to be on bail in London. It found that its pilots had colluded with Abubakar to help a felon to escape justice.
Sensing trouble, the airline management was said to have contacted the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and EFCC to report what had transpired.
But details of how the governor got to the neighbouring West African country remained a mystery even as there were indications that he left London by train for France disguising as a woman, from where he connected an Air Afrique flight to Cote d'Ivoire.
Efforts by THISDAY to get official confirmation from the EFCC yesterday proved abortive as all officials contacted declined to make any comment.
Alamieyeseigha, who was arrested on September 15, 2005 in London for alleged money laundering, involving over a million pounds, was admitted to bail on six conditions on October 11 by a Southwark Court, but could not be released from the Brixton Prisons until October 13 because he could not provide a bail bond.
In admitting him to bail, the court among others, barred him from traveling outside London, and asked him to report daily to a police station. But on November 18, the governor broke one of the bail terms by failing to report at the Paddington Police Station. On November 20, he left London and appeared mysteriously in Nigeria on November 21, sparking off a chain of investigations on how he escaped from the British capital and returned to the country.