The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, has arrested a former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha.
CompassNG gathered that Okorocha was arrested by operatives of the EFCC at about 4 pm on Tuesday evening at his Unity House private office in Abuja.
The arrest followed a five-hour stand-off between the former governor and the Operatives of the anti-graft agency, who trailed him to the location.
CompassNG learnt reliably that the former governor was repeatedly invited by the EFCC to its Abuja headquarters in connection with multiple corruption allegations against him; but Okorocha, who is now senator, reportedly declined to honour the invitation, a development which infuriated the detectives who fanned out to get him.
The former governor is currently being interrogated at the EFCC headquarters; and it is unclear if he would be allowed to go home today.
Although, details of the allegations against the senator are sketchy, sources said they are related to suspected monumental graft during his eight-year stint as governor of Imo State.
Spokesperson to the former governor, Sam Onwuemeodo, was unavailable for comments as at Tuesday evening.
However, when contacted, EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed that the former governor is in the anti-graft agency’s custody, but however declined further comments, when pressed for details of the allegations against the politician.
Okorocha has been having a running battle with his successor, Hope Uzodinma, since he left office as governor in 2019.
Uzodinmahad accused the former governor of misgovernance and corruption during his tenure, despite both men being members of Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Recall that the former governor was arrested by the police on February 21, for unsealing a hotel owned by his wife, but which was shut by the Imo State government. He was later released.
Recall also that in November 2020, the EFCC zonal office in Enugu arraigned a former commissioner who served under Okorocha, Lasberry Anyanwu, a former commissioner, for stealing and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of N180 million.
