The umbrella body of Ijaw youths, the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, Worldwide, has claimed that the British government’s request for the extradition of a former Bayelsa State governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, to the United Kingdom, UK, to face alleged money laundering charges was politically motivated.
The IYC claimed that although the request was coming from the UK, the action is politically motivated and instigated by the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration while the UK is being used as a subterfuge.
The group, in a statement issued by its spokesman, Eric Omare, on Tuesday, said the suspicious request from the UK government and the immediate justification by the head of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Committee, Prof. Itse Sagay, betrays a clandestine plan to arrest and jail Alamieyeseigha over his open criticism of the present administration.
The group held that, “The real brains behind the extradition request are some key players in the Nigerian government, who want Alamieyesegha to be punished because of his recent statement on his ordeal in the past and because of Alamieyesegha’s consistent opposition to the ruling party.
“The IYC also condemned Prof. Sagay, the Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-Corruption for justifying the extradition request by the UK government.
“It amounts to professional misconduct for Sagay who was one of Alamieyeseigha’s lawyers during his arrest and subsequent trial in Nigeria to now be acting as Adviser to the federal government on same matter.
“Nigerians would recall that Prof. Sagay fell out with his old time friend and benefactor, Chief Gani Fawehinmi because of the arrest of Alamieyesegha in London.”
“Also, when Chief James Ibori was sentenced in London, he condemned the sentence for being excessive.
“Now same Prof. Sagay is singing a new song. We make bold to state that Prof. Sagay’s conduct is not only unprofessional but he also lacks consistency and integrity. Prof. Sagay is nothing but a man who speaks from any side of his mouth and no useful advice can come from a committee headed by such an inconsistent character.”
While warning the government of the United Kingdom to desist from being used or interfering in the internal affairs of Nigeria, the IYC averred that the excessive interference of the UK and the United States governments in the internal affairs of Nigeria is deliberately designed to cause crisis in Nigeria.
They warned that such development would result in double jeopardy for Alamieyesegha to be extradited to the UK to face trial having been tried and convicted of the same offences in Nigeria for which the UK government is requesting his extradition.
IYC went ahead to state that the people of Niger Delta would no longer accept the continued persecution being meted out to it by the Buhari-led Federal Government.
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