JAMES IBORI'S MISTRESS, UDOAMAKA OKORONKWO GOES LOW PROFILE

Two years after she was released from prison in the United Kingdom, Udoamaka Okoronkwo-Onuigbo, the celebrated mistress of former Delta State governor, Chief James Ibori, is struggling to get her life back on track. But her efforts are being frustrated by circumstances beyond her control. First, Udoamaka has been striving hard to wriggle out of the stigma of being an ex-convict. This is occasioned by the allegations of money laundering, leveled against her by the British government. Also, she is battling to revive her business, which reportedly took a downward turn during her trial and imprisonment. Her wine retail shop, Sagicon, located on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi was closed down, following plethora of complaints of poor financial returns. Moreover, Udoamaka only has a handful of people to relate with, as most of her friends deserted her during her tribulationsUdoamaka, who has a daughter for Ibori, was in custody at an all-female Holloway Prison in London after she was arrested in France in October 2008. Ibori had found it difficult in getting her out on bail because most of his associates engaged in money laundering activities in the UK were unwilling to sign a bail bond that could invite the London police to look into their finances. Udoamaka was tried alongside Ibori’s sister, Christine Ibori-Ibie, found guilty of money laundering and mortgage fraud and was sentenced to five years by Judge Christopher Hardy of a Southwark London Crown Court in June 2010. The two women were accused and subsequently convicted of handling proceeds of criminal transaction on behalf of Ibori while he was governor of Delta State. The court ordered that their sentences be served concurrently and Udoamaka was released in 2012, and she has been struggling to gather her equilibrium since then. She now keeps a low profile and restricts herself to relating to very few people.