Former governor of Imo State and Senator representing Imo West Senatorial district, Rochas Owelle Okorocha, on Tuesday was arrested in his Abuja office, over alleged misappropriation of ₦7.2 billion, found in his bank accounts.
There has been clashes between the former governor and the EFCC, following claims and counter claims that he did no wrong and he has being witch-hunted by the EFCC and his successor, Hope Uzodinma.
The EFCC had begun investigating the former governor even before he left office in 2019.
The anti-graft agency said it traced at least ₦7.9billion in different bank accounts of the former governor, now a Senator in the Upper chambers of the Nigerian parliament.
However, before now the Head of the Portharcourt zone of the EFCC, Imam Usman had spoken of tracing at least ₦7.9billion in several Nigerian banks to the Senator Okorocha.
The commission also claimed that it had identified many choice properties said to be owned by the former governor in different parts of the country, and that would be eventually forfeited by the government.
The spokesman of EFCC, confirmed the arrest of the former governor to Vanguard on Tuesday night. He, however, declined to giving details of the matter.
“It is true that our operatives picked up the former governor from his private office in Garki area of Abuja, today, but I don’t have details,” the EFCC head of media and publicity told Vanguard on the phone.
Usman said, “Within the period in review, the commission succeeded in freezing about ₦7.9billion in different accounts. ₦2.7 billion was released to Imo State government to pay staff salaries and pensions.
“Also, properties worth billions of naira recovered in the course of investigation have being forfeited by the federal government.
“Only last month, ₦514million was further released to incumbent administration of the State to enable it meet its obligations to workers.”
It was gathered that the EFCC might charge the former governor to court immediately; in order to make him account for his actions while in office as the Chief Executive Officer of Imo State for eight years.
Ijeoma Njoku reporting, Obinwannem News
