IMO – Tuesday 13 April 2021: Owelle Rochas Okorocha, former Imo State Governor was on Tuesday arrested in Abuja over his alleged misappropriation of the funds of the state to the tune of N7.9 billion CEOAFRICA gathered .
EFCC started investigating the former governor even before he left office in 2019, claimed that it traced at least N7.9 billion in different bank accounts to the former governor, now a senator representing the state in the upper chambers of the Nigerian parliament.
The commission also claimed that it had identified many choice properties said to be owned by the former governor in different parts of the county and that they would be eventually forfeited to the government. The former governor, according to EFCC sources, was arrested at his private office in Garki District of Abuja on Tuesday and taken to the EFCC office also in Abuja.
The Head of Media and Publicity of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed on Tuesday that Okorocha was arrested in Abuja.
The EFCC spokesperson, however, declined to comment on the reason for the arrest of the Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District.
When asked, the EFCC official said, “It is true, he (Okorocha) was arrested today in Abuja but we are not giving details.”
There has been a running battle between the former governor and the EFCC in recent months following his claims and counterclaims that he did no wrong and that he was being witch-hunted by the EFCC and his successor, Hope Uzodinma.
Okorocha’s latest arrest is coming weeks after police officers of Imo State Police Command arrested him in February for allegedly unsealing Spring Palm Estate linked to his wife, Nkechi.
Recall that CEOAFRICA reported that the Imo State Government sealed the estate and other properties it claimed to have been “diverted” by Okorocha and his family members but the Senator has since said the properties were legitimately his own and that of his family members.
The former governor has been at loggerheads with his successor, Hope Uzodinma, who has vowed to recover all “diverted” assets.
Okorocha was later released but about 14 of his loyalists are being tried.