By Charles Igbo
Nigerians woke up on Tuesday, May 24, to the embarrassing situation which played out at the Maitama, Abuja home of former Imo State Governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha.
Personnel of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had invaded his home to effect his arrest. They accused him of jumping bail. They said he abused the administrative bail given him when he was arrested months ago. That he ignored every invitation extended to him to come to their office.
So, on Tuesday, they invaded his residence, and literally, held him hostage. They blocked every exit front and back. When he refused to come out from the house, they forced their way in – breaking doors and ceilings.
After an over six-hour standoff, they eventually arrested him.
According to unconfirmed sources, he is likely to be in the custody of the EFCC for a number of days.
The Senator has attributed his “ordeal” to persecution. He said it was a ploy to stop him from contesting for the office of the President of Nigeria. He said he was billed to be screened by an APC Presidential panel but that the situation at hand had stopped him.
In a Press Release signed by his Spokesperson, Sam Onwuemeodo, Okorocha maintained the same story. He said he was being persecuted. He pleaded his innocence. He said no invitation was extended to him from the EFCC. And he said all he wanted on Tuesday was a warrant of arrest or a Court order authorising his arrest.
But reactions to the manner of his arrest from a number of Imo citizens have not been sympathetic. They say it was the law of Karma at work. While some say he deserved it, others condemned the EFCC method, but nonetheless, said his arrest was justified if he jumped bail.
Following are the Press Release by Onwuemeodo, and three reactions to the the Press Release and Okorocha’s arrest.
SUBJECT: THE INVASION AND FORCEFUL ARREST OF SENATOR ROCHAS OKOROCHA BY THE PERSONNEL OF EFCC
- We have been very unwilling to join issues with the Economic And Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, over its case with the former governor of lmo state and Senator Representing lmo West senatorial District, Senator Rochas Okorocha.
- Today, Tuesday, May 24 , 2022 , the personnel of the EFCC with armed security agents in their large number, stormed the private residence of Okorocha in Abuja to arrest him.
- Okorocha is a presidential aspirant on the platform of APC. And the party’s screening for the Presidential aspirants was originally fixed for today, being Tuesday, May 24. The question became, why today.?
- The conclusion on our part was that, those who had sworn to frustrate Okorocha’s presidential ambition or pursuit, have not relented. And this apprehension had occasioned Okorocha’s demand for either warrant of arrest or court order, from the security personnel who laid siege to his house .
- None was provided. The security personnel finally employed force to arrest Okorocha, without any warrant or court order. And if there was any , it could also be made public.
- lt should also be recalled that on the day Okorocha declared to run for the office of President, was also the day the EFCC stormed the venue of the event to arrest him . And claimed that they had come to arrest Okorocha and arraign him even when he had not been served. The general outcry by the public, saved the situation.
- Again, EFCC invading Okorocha’s residence to arrest him , less than 48 hours he hosted the meeting of APC Presidential Aspirants from the South East, only raised the antenna of our concern about the motive behind all these.
- The APC presidential primary is taking place in few days time. There is also the concern that, the essence of all these , is to prevent him from participating in the party’s primary.
- Okorocha has been attending the sittings of the Senate. He has been going to his office to attend to people, including supporters, there was never any attempt to arrest him. He has never been in hidding. Why today, the APC Presidential Screening was to take place?
- All these have only fuelled our suspicion or concern that , there could be more than the eyes could see.
- EFCC has been in court with Okorocha over N2 billion fraud Allegation. Until Okorocha is found guilty, he remains innocent.
lf Okorocha is forcefully stopped from pursuing his Presidential ambition , over a matter he is deemed innocent until proved otherwise, that won’t be a nice story for history and posterity.
- We have refused to believe some valid pieces of information at our disposal, on those working to stop Okorocha from exercising his constitutional right. The reason for our doubt being that, Okorocha has not done anything to warrant such onslaught.
- Okorocha has sacrificed a lot for this nation and if he is denied the opportunity to pursue his Presidential ambition, either to win or lose , that would be most uncharitable and very unfortunate.
- Let the EFCC continue its work as it concerns Okorocha. But it should not prove those contending that, it is all about 2023 Presidential election, right.
- Okorocha has been cooperating with the Commission right from the outset. And would continue to cooperate with the Commission. The drama today would have been short or avoided if the Commission had come up with either warrant of arrest or court order. The whole argument would not have arisen.
- We only appeal that while doing its good works , EFCC should avoid ” strange hands,” in its operations. We are yet to detach politics from Okorocha’s ordeal. We may be right or wrong. It’s our candid appeal that the Commission should not abort Okorocha’s presidential ambition. Let the APC delegates or Nigerians do that.
17 . We wish EFCC well. We wish all the security personnel who invaded Okorocha’s house today , laid siege there and carried out his arrest, well.
Sam. Onwuemeodo.
*Special Adviser (media ) to the former governor of lmo state and Senator Representing lmo West senatorial District.
I Have No Sympathy For Rochas Okorocha
By Hon. Divine Chike
This your Press Statement Is inconsequential.
From the video of him asking God to rescue him, Rochas and his family were just putting up drama in their house to attract sympathy from Nigerians and the World at large.
But, personally, for me I don’t have any sympathy for this looter of a man.
In 2016 this man, as Executive Governor of Imo State, visited South Africa and I was serving as SA to the Nigeria Consul General (CG) in Johannesburg as well as serving as the Pretoria Chairman of the Nigerian Union South Africa (NUSA) then.
Upon the Governor’s arrival in South Africa, my CG called me to organize to host him in our Consulate and we did give him a wonderful hosting with some top Nigerian professionals and business men. The the next day, we organized business breakfast meeting inviting some South African investors to meet with the Governor.
In his usual manner, he brainwashed all of us including the Investors of how he had built heaven and earth infrastructures in Imo State and wanted investors to come over and partner with him to boost what he had done so far.
I and my investors picked interest on Health sector when he said he had built internationally standard 27 hospitals in the 27 LGAs, at a cost of about 30billion Naira; Thar all he needed was an International Healthcare Partner to come and equip the building and run the hospitals on Public Private Partnership (PPP).
Unfortunately, we fell for this talkative of a Governor, thinking he was saying the truth. Immediately my partners picked so much interest in the hospitals and we started planing to visit the Governor in Nigeria.
Fast track to late 2017. I pulled-in the investors from South Africa to Imo State. They were ready to invest about 50million US dollars to make some of the hospitals top notch international standard hospitals with sophisticated equipments, only for us to arrive Imo and saw uncompleted, abandoned dilapidated crack walls – buildings littered here and there in each Local Government.
I was not only embarrassed with that visit to Nigeria, but I lost those hard earned investors. Very sad experience we had with this Okorocha of a man as Governor!
Imagine losing such foreign investors with 50million US- Dollar investment capital
When I later came back to Nigeria in 2018 and evaluated those abandoned dilapidated buildings, I realized that those block work buildings, with some roof and some half roof, the construction of those 27 uncompleted buildings won’t cost upto one billion naira. But 30 billion Naira Imo money was signed off. And there are no completed hospitals.
And he’s facing the consequences of his actions, then you want me to sympathize with him on this drama he’s putting up here!
Mind you, the 30billion naira hospital project is just on health sector alone. The Owerri-Orlu road was awarded multiple times in billions to Okorocha’s siblings, today the same road is undergoing a serious reconstruction again running in billion.
I don’t want go further on projects Okorocha used to divert Imo funds yet only 2.5billion naira is the charges on him by EFCC and he’s acting all this drama.
The Law of Karma is catching up with him.
Posterity has come judging him. So no sympathy whatsoever!
Okorocha, Architect Of His Problem
By Emmanuel Ojimadu
Senator Rochas Okorocha embarked on such a white elephant project and abandoned it. He would’ve endeared himself to the people of Imo state, if he had completed and furnished those 27 Hospital projects.
No one would’ve castigated him for the shoddy road projects that are scattered across the state, particularly in Owerri, or the forceful land grabbing and properties he used State resources to acquire.
He should’ve thanked whoever reduced the embezzlement allegations to only two billion Naira and just run to the courts and plead guilty and refund same, instead of gathering his family in his room and turn to prayer warriors. God doesn’t answer such prayers.
He has to face the court and clear himself or be convicted. QED.
What Goes Around Comes Around
By GEE
“It is interesting to hear his supporters talk about “impunity” and the “lack of due process” displayed by the EFCC people in effecting the arrest. Did Rochas have any regards for Dur Process when he was in power?
One of the most heart- rending scenes I have ever witnessed was the demolition and eviction of Shell Camp, Owerri residents, by the Rochas Okorocha government.
I was driving down Orlu road when a friend called me to ask if I had heard that Shell Camp was being demolished in blatant disregard of a subsisting court order.
I turned and drove into the place. There, I saw that, indeed, the houses were being demolished even while people were still living in them.
It was painful to see the residents, some of them very old people, scrambling to salvage and evacuate what they could before their home was flattened by one of the many earth-moving equipment standing by, that day.
In spite of the heavy police and military presence, there were some urchins who were stealing some of the things the residents brought out of their homes.
Even as night fell, the earthmovers were still at work. It wasn’t just the fate of the residents that saddened me.
I was mourning the demolition of a lovely well- planned and well- built estate.
The estate, as the name indicates, was built by the Shell Petroleum Development Company in the fifties. Then, Owerri was their base before they moved to Port Harcourt.
In addition it its solid and well built bungalows sitting on large plots of land with plenty of trees and greenery, there was also a staff club complete with swimming pool and tennis courts as well as a hospital or clinic and a primary school.
The Camp had proved useful time and time again in providing accommodation for public servants.
During the Civil war, my father shared one of the bungalows with a classmate and friend, who was also a senior civil servant.
When Imo state was created, again we lived there. We were to move there again in the mid- eighties for a brief period.
So in a way, I was a Shell camp boy.
At the time it was demolished, it was largely being used by the Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education as its staff quarters. Many of the staff living there had retired from AIFCE, but they were hanging on to their accomodation as they had not been paid their retirement benefits.
Their argument was that they had nowhere to go and that if they were paid, they would vacate the place and use some of the money to rent accomodation somewhere.
When Rochas had tried to move against them initially, they had gone to court. The management of AIFCE also went to court over the same issue.
The Government lost both cases with the courts ordering that it should leave the estate and its residents alone as the property did not belong to the state government.
It was said that Rochas attempted to go ahead with the evictions and demolitions despite the subsisting court orders, but the Police Commissioner at the time refused to play along.
When that Police Commissioner left, Rochas was able to convince his successor to give him support in terms of men and materials to embark on the demolitions.
That was when he demolished Shell camp as well as the Owerri main market, where he also ignored yet another restraining order from the court.
He also demolished the New market and several other structures in various locations.
Rochas did not care about court orders or the fate or well being of all those who lost their homes and businesses as a result of the demolitions.
Many of the people who were forcibly evicted from Shell camp died of heart break and hardship soon after.
Following the evictions and demolitions, the Estate was redesigned and the plots sold for the princely sum of 50million Naira each to interested buyers.
It is alleged that the proceeds of the sale were not paid into any Government account. But that is a different story.
It is also interesting to see the man who ordered these heartless, wicked and illegal demolitions and evictions lying flat on his stomach, praying to God and begging to be saved from invading EFCC operatives.
It is the same way some of the victims of his evictions and demolitions must have prayed and begged.
It is even more interesting to hear his supporters talk about the ” impunity” and the ” lack of due process” displayed by the EFCC people in effecting the arrest.
Did Rochas have any regards for Due Process when he was in power?
His acts of impunity were unparalleled.
Today, he is on the receiving end of impunity and disregard for due process and some people are disturbing our peace.
What goes around comes around. Now na morning, his *wahala just dey begin.
Eventually Rochas will suffer like he made others suffer.
That is how it always happens in life.
That is why we all must be careful in all we do and treat others as we would like to be treated.
