Tragedy struck the former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, on Sunday, when one of his sons, Oyamiefa, was murdered in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he was a student.
The late Oyamiefa, 30, who was reportedly killed in the house belonging to his father in the Arab country, was said to be the only person living in the luxury apartment. The deceased was the last but one of the former governor’s children..
It was gathered that Oyamiefa was murdered by unknown gunmen who stormed his apartment on Sunday night. Impeccable family sources disclosed that his lifeless body was recovered by neighbours who promptly alerted his father.
Although details of the incident were sketchy at the time of filing this report yesterday, LEADERSHIP gathered that the former governor was informed about the tragic development early yesterday morning and he promptly departed for Dubai.
The former governor was in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, preparing for his investiture as patron of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) on Thursday before the tragic occurrence forced him to abandon the event.
The event had been packaged to launder the image of the former governor after he received state pardon from President Goodluck Jonathan following his conviction for corruption during the Olusegun Obasanjo administration. Prior to his conviction, he had staged a dramatic escape from the UK where he was under house arrest and undergoing investigation for fraud.
It was gathered that different ethnic and socio-cultural groups had been assembled for the ceremony and to persuade the former governor to seek election into the Senate in 2015. He was reported to be plotting to unseat Senator Emmanuel Paulker (Bayelsa Central).
Family sources hinted that Alamieyeseigha briefed Jonathan about the incident before departing the country for Dubai.
Jonathan, who served as deputy governor during Alamieyeseigha’s administration in Bayelsa State, was reported to have promptly contacted the authorities in UAE to unmask the killers and bring them to justice.
The president, who was said to have sympathised with his former boss, assured him that he would prevail on the UAE authorities to ensure that the killers of his son were found and punished.
LEADERSHIP recalls that a popular sport journalist, Aishat Falode, had also lost her son, Oloruntoba, in the Arab country after the 19-year-old boy was reportedly flung from a 13-storey building by a fellow student, Faisal, said to be the son of an influential business mogul in the country.
Alamieyeseigha’s son’s death is the latest in the long list Nigerian students killed abroad.
My Son Didn’t Commit Suicide; He was Killed – Alamieyeseigha
The former Bayelsa governor has debunked the claim by Dubai police that his son committed suicide.
LEADERSHIP gathered that Oyemifa’s body had been found in a street by the police who searched him and found his identify card.
Using the identification card, the police were said to have traced his home only to discover that he came from “a big family”.
It was gathered that shortly after ascertaining the background of the deceased, the policemen left but later came back to tell his family members in Dubai that Oyemifa had committed suicide.
The policemen were said to have based their claims on an autopsy they said was conducted on the body.
Alameiseigha, who was said to have taken the incident heavily, was said to have rejected the policemen’s claims.
When contacted through a text message by our correspondent, the aggrieved former governor said: “He was killed in Dubai.”
He had left for Dubai immediately alongside his first son, Tonbra, to determine the circumstances that led to the death of his son. His wife was said to have cried inconsolably.
Jonathan Condoles Alamieyeseigha Over Son’s Death
President Goodluck Jonathan said yesterday he received the news of the death Alamieyeseigha’s son with immense sadness and shock.
A statement by presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, to this effect noted that the president, on behalf of his family and the federal government, extended “heartfelt condolences’ to Oyamiefa’s father, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, and his entire family on the death of his son in the prime of his life.
“The president and the first lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, share their pain and grief over the death of Oyamiefa in circumstances that are still unclear. President Jonathan assures Chief Alamieyeseigha and his family of the full support of the federal government as they strive to unravel the true circumstances of the young man’s death,” Abati said.
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