quote: Bayelsa State governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha has been impeached. He has also been arrested by the police. 17 members of the state House of Assembly who sat in Yenogoa under tight security voted for his removal. It could be recalled that the Bow Street Magistrate Court, yesterday issued a warrant for the arrest of Governor Diepreye Alamieye-seigha of Bayelsa State for failing to appear before it at the resumption of his trial over alleged money laundering. With the issuance of the international warrant of arrest, the International Police (INTERPOL), can arrest Alamieyeseigha anywhere, except in Nigeria where he has immunity as provided in section 308 of the 1999 constitution. At the resumption of the trial yesterday, the prosecuting counsel from the Crown Prosecution Services, Mr. Mark Ludcraft, told the court that Alamieyeseigha must be presumed to have jumped bail since he had not reported to the Paddington Police Station since November 18. He, therefore, asked the court to issue a warrant for his arrest. Alamieyeseigha who was arrested in London on September 15 by the Metropolitan Police was, on October 11, admitted to bail on six conditions by a Southwark Crown Court. Among other conditions, he was asked to report daily to a police station, and barred from traveling outside London. But on November 18, the governor breached one of the bail terms by failing to report at the Paddington Police Station. Four days later, he returned to Nigeria in controversial circumstances, sparking off mixed reactions about the propriety of his action. The governor breach of bail terms and his dramatic return to the country had engendered series of events with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) submitting an indictment to the Bayelsa House of Assembly, which on November 22 served him an eight-point impeachment notice. The Federal Government on November 28 increased the pressure on Alamieyeseigha by filing a 19-count charge at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, accusing the embattled governor of false declaration of assets, corrupt enrichment and abuse of office. Meanwhile, the seven-man impeachment panel investigating allegations of gross misconduct leveled against him yesterday began its proceedings at Yenagoa behind closed door. The panel, which was inaugurated on Monday by the state Chief Judge, Justice Emmanuel Igoniwari, met in the Conference Room of Creek Motel, Yenagoa, where armed security men disallowed members of the public, including newsmen from gaining access to the hotel�¢??s premises. When THISDAY visited the hotel yesterday, a security operative manning its main entrance turned the correspondent back, saying he had no instruction to allow anyone except members and officials of the panel to attend its proceedings.  Efforts to reach some of the panelists also proved abortive, as their phone lines were not going through. Impeccable sources, however, said the freezing of the state accounts in commercial banks, as well as the non-release of its November allocation from the Federation Account was taking its toll on the panel, as the investigative body was said to be having logistic problems due to lack of funds.  In a related development, the Secretary to the Bayelsa State Government, Dr. Steve Azaiki, has been reportedly detained by security operatives. Azaiki, who is a bosom friend of Alamieyeseigha, recently dropped out of public glare. He was said to have been arrested by plain cloth security operatives early this week in Lagos while on his way to the United States of America (USA). An aide of the SSG who confirmed the arrest of his boss said Azaiki was sick and had been hospitalised at St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos. According to him, Azaiki has been taken away to a detention center in Ogun State.
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