Okechukwu Uwaezuroke, Festus Akanbi and Ndubuisi Ugah
12 July 2009
Lagos — Former Bayelsa State Governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha has described the inhuman condition of the London Cell where he was detained following his arrest on charges of money laundering after his removal from power in December 2005 as the most traumatic experience in his life.
Alamieyeseigha told THISDAY in Lagos yesterday that his major wish while languishing in his cell room in London which he shared with some "mad people", was to come out alive.
The former governor, who was slammed into the prison shortly after he underwent a surgical operation in Germany in 2005, said he was made to sleep naked on a bare floor.
He said he was afraid for his life because he was thrown into prison with blood still dripping from his tummy after the operation.
The experience, according to him, humbled him, saying he was able to draw a line between his former exalted position as a governor and his prison experience where he had to share a room with criminals and lunatics.
"I got to realise the difference between the position of power and that of a prisoner when I was in detention in the United Kingdom.
"I was just coming out of operation theatre. The wound was fresh. That was the day the stitches were removed; I was still bleeding when I was kept in that condition. I was in the theatre for eight hours and that was the day I was subjected to that kind of treatment.
"We were shut in a small room and we were surrounded with mad people. At daytime, it was usually a bit quieter but in the night, that was their day. Nobody could sleep. They would be hitting their doors, scratching and shouting. When I saw this, I sat back to say 'so, this is life.' I was naked. This was an executive governor that was so respected with the paraphernalia of office. Anything you wanted, you got it done. You had the power of life and death. But within a twinkle of an eye, you were in that position sleeping on the bare floor. Any reasonable person would sit down and reflect," he said.
He described the proposed amnesty being offered the Niger Delta militants as laudable. He said everybody is tired of violence in the Niger Delta region.
The former governor, however, warned that the on-going efforts of the Federal Government to stamp out militancy from the region may not achieve the desired results unless oil bunkering could be effectively tackled.
According to him, the problem of bunkering is beyond the militants. He alleged that certain powerful individuals who have been benefiting from the illegal business might not allow peace to return to the area in order to sustain their illegal trade.
"Until bunkering is stopped in the Niger Delta, militancy in the area will not stop. And bunkering is not done by the militants or freedom fighters, but they are only used as tools, as vehicles by very important persons in society. It is not Bayelsans, and not even people from the 'Niger Delta'. These ocean liners vessels and fuel tankers are always being loaded by oil bunkerers that come from Europe, America and Asia. Is it those militants you see in the Creeks that have the connections to bring those ships to the Niger Delta? It is ridiculous! So, who is bringing them? If there is no buyer, there is no supplier."
Dismissing the claims by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the properties handed over to the Bayelsa State Government last week, Alamieyeseigha said he did not operate any domiciliary account in Nigeria, wondering where the foreign component of the funds said to have been seized from him came from.
The EFCC had declared that $441,000, 7,000 Euros and two thousand pounds were part of the fund recovered from the former governor. He challenged the EFCC to explain where it got the foreign currency from.
On the Chelsea Hotel said to have been recovered from him, Alamieyeseigha said the property never belonged to him. He explained that the hotel was purchased on behalf of the Bayelsa State government during his tenure.
The former governor said the total cost of the hotel was N2billion and that N1.5billion was paid as initial deposit by his administration while his successor, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan paid the balance of N500million.
"I want to correct one impression and that is my object. From the beginning, Chelsea Hotel, Abuja as was reported was never Alamieyesiegha's property. In 2005, we had a policy of generating internal revenue but it was so low.
"So, we had this problem of Bayelsans in Abuja, who had no job, just loitering around. At the Federal Civil Service, we didn't have people and when you want to send them, they refused to stay in Abuja; they felt that the home conditions are better and we needed to make them fill our quota in the Federal Civil Service. So, what I did was to acquire a mighty place, an 18-flat with three-bedroom each and we started moving people to Abuja. Get employment and stay there free. This was to enable us have people in the Federal Service. And this proposal came from Chelsea Hotel. It was to cost us N2 billion. Our monthly allocation was about N35 million. The hotel was to employ our people and we felt it was a good investment. Then we had only N1.5 billion in our budget in 2005. So, we took a decision in Exco that let us pay the N1.5 billion as down payment so that in 2006 budget.
"This thing happened before my removal from office. I was in EFCC detention when the government of Goodluck Jonathan paid the N500 million to the owners of Chelsea Hotel. It was not me that paid the N500 million. It was all documented."
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