Operatives of the EFCC have arrested the former governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, after over six hours of a siege at his house.
He was arrested on Tuesday evening at about 6:30 p.m. at his residence in the Maitama area of Abuja.
He was arrested minutes after security operatives fired teargas to disperse protesters who did not want the ex-governor arrested.
It was observed that Mr. Okorocha was whisked into a white Hilux vehicle by armed security operatives.
Dozens of protesters had stormed Rochas Okorocha’s Abuja home to protest the security siege of the former governor’s house.
The siege on Mr. Okorocha’s house started at about 11:30 a.m. when dozens of security operatives arrived at the Abuja residence.
During the siege, Mr. Okorocha addressed some journalists inside the house and alleged that the EFCC was trying to frustrate his presidential ambition. He specifically accused the anti-graft agency of preventing him from attending the screening of APC presidential aspirants in Abuja.
The screening had been scheduled to hold on Tuesday but was later postponed indefinitely. Mr. Okorocha is one of 25 APC presidential aspirants seeking the party’s ticket.
However, the embattled former Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, has pleaded with operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) who invaded and barricaded his Maitama, Abuja residence on Tuesday to allow him go for the screening of the presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) holding today.
Okorocha who is still holed up in his house is one of the 24 aspirants being screened today.
The Senator as alleging that he is under siege after EFCC operatives on Tuesday barricaded his house.
The embattled former governor described the situation as an ugly development that does not portray those involved in good light. Allow me go for APC screening, besieged Okorocha pleads with adamant EFCC operatives
He alleged that the Commission’s invasion was a ploy to stop him from attending the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential screening, which he said was ongoing.
The Imo West Senator also explained that no formal invitation was extended to him prior to the EFCC raid.
According to him: “Frankly speaking, the situation I find myself is a situation of what I call hostage. Policemen and EFCC operatives are currently in my compound and possibly whisk me away and my gate is blocked.
”All I am asking is to be allowed 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.
”I am not an unknown person in the country. I have an address and people know me in the country. All what it takes for the EFCC is to send me an invitation and I will gladly oblige.”
His counsel Ola Olanipekun (SAN) described the attempt by the EFCC to arrest the Senator without a search warrant as a violation of his fundamental human rights.
He said: “I got a distress call that the Rochas family is under siege and as the lead counsel who is handling all the matters that are in Court concerning this matter.
“I got here and I met a detachment of EFCC officers and security men and they are led by investigation officers who are familiar to us the legal team in this matter.
“My simple request is, what is going on here and the answer is that the Director Operations wants to have a meeting with his excellency former Governor and Distinguished Senator Rochas Okorocha.
“Before now, there are issues on the ground, there are extant Court Orders restraining arrest, restraining interrogation. There are Court Orders made by the Federal High court in Abuja and restraining interrogation on this matter.
“So what I have sought to do is to ask whether there are letters for invitation, there are none, whether there are warrants of arrest, there is none.
“Are there court processes to be served, there are none. In fact processes of Court are served by Court officials, who are the bailiff of the Court.
“I then asked what is really going on? I’ve also requested that the invitee should be given time to report either later this week or early next or any other time other than the day of the screening of presidential aspirants under the platform of APC which the Distinguished Senator is a most prominent person who is to be screened for the presidency of Nigeria.
“Today is the day of screening and an invitation by any security agencies that is not preceded by a letter of invitation or notice before now, to us is very prejudicial. That is why we requested that a day be fixed so that the senator can voluntarily go and keep an appointment with whoever it is that is inviting him again that has been turned down.
“As I speak to you now the siege continues but I can assure you is that reasoning must be made to prevail. What normally happens in such a circumstance like this in this country governed by law and the Constitution is that a citizen has fundamental human rights to freedom even when you are being investigated for any alleged offence.
“I dare say it is a breach of the fundamental human rights of citizen Rochas Okorocha and it has to stop”.
