Today in Nigerian History: 26th July

Senate

On this day in 2013, the Senate passed a resolution empowering it and the House of Representatives to take over the legislative functions of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

In the resolution which concurred with that of the House on July 10, the Senate also flayed the attempt by five anti-Rotimi Amaechi lawmakers to impeach the state Assembly Speaker, Otelemaba Amachree.

Also on this day in 2007, Court sentenced former Bayelsa State Governor, Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha to two years in jail on charges of corruption and money laundering and ordered him to forfeit millions in property and cash.

Alamieyeseigha pleaded guilty before a Nigerian court to six charges and was sentenced to two years in prison on each charge; however, because the sentences were set to run concurrently and the time was counted from the point of his arrest nearly two years before the sentences, his actual sentence was relatively short. Many of his assets were ordered to be forfeited to the Bayelsa state government. According to Alamieyeseigha, he only pleaded guilty due to his age and would have fought the charges had he been younger. On July 27, just hours after being taken to prison, he was released due to time already served.