The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has picked up Senator Rochas Okorocha from his residence after laying siege to his Abuja home for seven hours.
The agency had broken into the residence after gunshots were heard in the vicinity.
Okorocha, who currently represents Imo-West senatorial district, was arrested by a combined team of EFCC operatives and policemen who broke into his home through the ceiling after he had denied them entry
The EFCC had also insisted that journalists must leave the premises, forcefully ejecting everyone in the residence, In the process of ejection some Journalist were brutalized one of them is Kabiru Owoyemi, a Channels Television cameraman, he was hit with a gun on the neck
The operative also used teargas to disperse journalists from the scene.
The EFCC had arrived Okorocha’s residence in Maitama to effect his arrest on Tuesday.
According to the agency, Okorocha had refused to “honour invitations after jumping the administrative bail earlier granted him by the Commission.”
But Okorocha, who is running for President under the platform of the All Progressives Congress, accused the agency of holding him hostage in his own home.
The EFCC had on January 24, 2022 filed a 17-count criminal charge bordering on diversion of public funds and properties to the tune of N2.9billion against Okorocha.
The case was assigned to Honourable Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja but attempts to arraign Senator Okorocha were twice stalled owing to the absence of the ex-governor who evaded service of processes.
At the last adjourned date, March 28th, 2022, Justice Ekwo before adjourning until May 30th, 2022, had warned that it was “the last adjournment I shall grant in this matter”.
According to the EFCC, it was “left with no option than to effect the arrest of Senator Okorocha and bring him to trial.”
Reacting, however, Okorocha said it was all a ploy to prevent him from attending the presidential screening of the APC.
The Imo West senator wondered why he was being treated like a common criminal.
“‘Frankly speaking, the situation I find myself in is what I call holding a person hostage. Policemen and EFCC operatives are currently in my compound to possibly whisk me away. All I am asking for now is to allow me to go for my screening because I am a presidential aspirant and our election comes up on Sunday. If I am not allowed to go for this screening, I might miss it.
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