Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee
on Anti-Corruption, PACAC, Prof Itse Sagay, SAN,
has said he never supported the extradition of
former governor of Bayelsa State, late Diepreye
Alamieyeseigha from the United Kingdom.

In a statement he entitled, “My relationship with
the late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, former
governor of Bayelsa State”, Prof. Sagay described
the report as, “wicked and malicious lie, cooked
up by some opportunists.”

He said, “I wish to correct the false allegation
made against me with regard to former Governor
Alamieyeseigha, namely that I supported his being
extradited to the U.K because it goes to my
character, an attribute which I regard as
fundamental.

“I was involved in Alamieyeseigha’s matter on
two related areas, namely, (i) his illegal and
gangster like removal from the office of Governor
and (2) whether he was entitled to immunity
outside Nigeria as Governor of a State in Nigeria.
“I was never involved in his trial for economic and
financial crimes as alleged. So the question of
defending him for corruption does not arise. That
was a criminal case handled by other lawyers,
which I do not even remember.

“Given my firm view that the former Governor
was entitled to immunity outside Nigeria and that
he was illegally removed from office, I could not,
in anyone’s wildest imagination, have supported
his being extradited to London for trial.
“In any case, he had already been tried and
sentenced to imprisonment in Nigeria, and was
entitled to plead “autrefoi convict” (previously
convicted) as provided in Section 36(9) of the
Constitution, which prohibits double conviction for
the same offence. Until his sad passing away, I
remained loyal as his former lawyer, to the former
Governor.

“Indeed, a few days to his passing away, I got a
text message from him that he was coming to see
me in Lagos. Sadly, that was never to be. The
false and vindictive accusation that I called for his
extradition to the U.K. is a wicked and malicious
lie, cooked up by some opportunists, who just
wanted to tarnish my image.”

http://dailypost.ng/2017/10/12/prof-sagay-reveals-relationship-former-gov-bayelsa-late-alamieyeseigha/