Dariye�s big lie �EScotland
Yard gives PUNCH the inside
story
Wale Adedayo
THE
headquarters of Britain's Metropolitan Police
Service, Scotland Yard, on Monday confirmed that
the suspended Governor of Plateau State, Chief
Joshua Chibi Dariye, was actually arrested at
Marriott Hotel in Central London last Thursday.
It added that the embattled Dariye is
expected to report back in December at the
Central West End Police Station, where he was
granted bail, to further assist the law
enforcement agents in their enquiry.
A
spokeswoman of Scotland Yard, who simply gave
her name as Sarah, disclosed during a telephone
interview with our correspondent, at about
10.30am on Monday that an unnamed woman was also
arrested along with Dariye and the two were
taken to a West End Police Station, where they
were questioned and released on bail.
The police spokeswoman said that the
arrest of Dariye and his partner was as a result
of a petition sent to the law enforcement agency
in January.
This explanation contradicts
claims by the suspended governor and his
political associates that he was not arrested,
but that the police action was a routine one,
which the British law enforcement agency often
carries out.
In his response to The
PUNCH story on Saturday, the Information
Attach�Eat the Nigerian High Commission in
London, Mr. Mathew Adoli, had claimed that, "It
(Dariye's arrest) was just a routine interview
with the police. There was nothing like
detention or arrest."
Our correspondent
had sought explanations from Scotland Yard about
the events of last Thursday at the Marriot
Hotel, with the spokeswoman asking that the name
of a suspect be provided to enable her get the
required information from the police database.
Upon being given Dariye's names, she
responded in the affirmative after about two
minutes with details of the arrest and the
events leading to it.
An insistence by
The PUNCH that a detailed and formal response
would be appreciated was followed by a pledge to
reduce her answers to an email, which was sent
shortly later.
The email from the Press
Office read, "On the morning of 2.9.04 officers
from MPS Specialist and Economic Crime Command
arrested a (A) man and a (B) woman in central
London, in connection with a fraud allegation,
relating to money laundering.
"The man
and woman have subsequently been booked to
return to central London police stations on
dates in December, pending further enquiries.
Two further people a (C) man and a (D) woman
were arrested in July and August of this year
respectively, in connection with this
investigation.
�They have been BTR to
London police stations on dates in October,
pending further enquiries.
�The MPS
received an allegation, relating to money
laundering, in January 2004. The allegation is
being investigated by the Specialist and
Economic Crime Command. NPTDF."
A
Nigerian group based in London, Nigerians
Against Fraud, had confirmed on Saturday that it
sent a petition against an unnamed individual to
the British authorities for investigation.
The group, led by Dr. Deji Afolabi, also
confirmed that a Nigerian medical doctor, who it
described as Dariye's front in his alleged money
laundering deals was arrested along with the
politician.
According to Afolabi, "The
N.A.F provided the authorities with information
on the activities of the said politician, due to
legal reason we can not name the said individual
now, but we do assure our hard working
compatriots that we are following events.
"We condemn the attempt by the Nigerian
embassy to give diplomatic cover to the said
individual, we can confirm that front to the
politician a Nigerian medical doctor who is
based in the West Midland as also being arrested
but granted bail. This is a sign to those who
loot our treasury that we will never give up."
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