N2.9bn fraud: EFCC arrests Okorocha
…Says former governor refuses to honour invitation
…As Okorocha begs EFCC to allow him go for APC presidential screening
By Ariemu Ogaga
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission finally arrested a former Governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, after a long siege to his Maitama residence in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, on Tuesday over N2.9 billion fraud.
This is as EFCC said in a statement made available to Nigerian NewsDirect that it laid siege on the former governor’s residence because of his refusal to honour invitation.
The EFCC officers whisked the embattled former governor away at exactly 06:48 p.m. in their vehicle after breaking into his living room.
Minutes before the officers broke in, Okorocha, in a live video made on his official Facebook Page, said officers of the commission had broken all his bulletproof doors.
He said, “The EFCC operatives are here with some gunmen and they have broken all my bulletproof doors. This may be my last appearance because I don’t know what they want to do.
“I am (being) held hostage here, I would say,” Okorocha lamented. “I have enquired if they have an arrest warrant or not and I am supposed to be getting ready for screening.”
Okorocha and his family members could be seen in the video running around the living room in fear of the officers who were banging on the door leading to the living room.
He also begged EFCC to allow him go for APC’s screening of presidential aspirants.
Earlier on, security operatives accompanying officials of the EFCC shot sporadically to disperse female supporters protesting at the ex-governor’s home in a show of solidarity.
The women had come to protest the continued siege on Okorocha’s residence by the operatives, demanding an end to the siege.
However, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) explained that its operatives laid siege to the residence of former Imo Governor Senator Rochas Okorocha because of his refusal to honour the commission’s invitations.
It said Okorocha jumped administrative bail granted him by EFCC.
It also alleged that attempts to arraign Senator Okorocha were stalled twice owing to the absence of the ex-Governor who reportedly evaded service of processes.
The EFCC made the clarifications in a statement by its Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren.
The statement reads: “Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), today, May 24, 2022, arrived at the Maitama, Abuja home of a former Governor of Imo state, Senator Rochas Okorocha, to effect his arrest.
“The anti-graft agency had filed the charges at the Federal High Court in Abuja about the same time the lawmaker declared his intention to run for the office of president in 2023.
“He was accused of conspiring with others, including a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and five companies to steal from public coffers.
“But the former governor has since denied any wrongdoing, stressing that it was not the first time he would be facing such action from the agency which he said was politically motivated.”
