Ebonyi Police Says Labour Party Senatorial Candidate, Linus Okorie Was Arrested And Not Kidnapped

The Ebonyi command of the Nigeria Police Force says the Labour Party senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South in the 2023 elections, Hon. Linus Okorie was arrested and kidnapped.

Okorie represented Onicha, Ohaozara, and Ivo federal constituency of Ebonyi state at the House of Representatives between 2007 and 2015 under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Saharaweekly reported earlier about the abduction of the former lawmaker who is contesting the Ebonyi South Senatorial seat along with the incumbent governor, David Umahi, who is in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

His wife in a video posted on Twitter seen on Monday, had accused the Ebonyi State governor, David Umahi and Ebubeagu security outfit of behind the disappearance of her husband.

Okorie was reportedly abducted on Sunday in Abakaliki, the state capital and since then his whereabouts have remained unknown.

According to family members, the police on Sunday denied having anything to do with Okorie’s disappearance.

However, in a sudden twist, the police on Monday morning claimed its personnel arrested the former lawmaker over drug-related matters and other offences.

A statement by the Command’s spokesman, SP Chris Anyanwu, said contrary to reports credited to one Dr David Ogbonna of Hon Linus Okorie Caringheart Foundation, purporting that Okorie was abducted on Sunday, the men of the Command swung into action and later traced the former lawmaker to the head office of the Ebube Agu Security Outfit at Old Government House in Abakaliki.

Anyanwu said the former lawmaker had before now ignored many police invitations and evaded arrests.

He said on getting to the office of Ebube Agu, the police were briefed on why Okorie was arrested, which includes his activities and utterances that allegedly incited and provoked the violence that engulfed Onicha local government area of the state.

He said that according to the brief by operatives of Ebube Agu, his utterances allegedly led suspected operatives of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its militant arm, Eastern Security Network (ESN) or unknown gunmen to unleash mayhem in the area, leaving seven persons dead at the end of the fracas.

Anyanwu noted that the case has now been taken over by the state police command for preliminary investigation, adding that Okorie was invited by the Security and Intelligence Bureau of the Command on several occasions over a petition dated March 23, 2022, authored by the State’s Attorney General/Commissioner for Justice.

He said that the petition alleged that Okorie was spreading fake news against Governor Umahi, accusing him of illegally withdrawing N6.7 billion from state government’s account to fund the Appeal Court Judgment against his removal from office, among others

“Similar to the above is another series of false allegations against the Government of Ebonyi State and the Police Command in his social media handles.

“When invited by the SIB over the false allegations/petition, Honourable Linus Abaa Okorie in his characteristic pompous manner refused vehemently to report to the SIB for a chat. Rather he chose to file fallacious suits against the Police Command.

“It is also pertinent to mention that Honourable Linus Abaa Okorie also has a pending case in which he is implicated in a drug-related offence where the suspects purported to be his agents were arrested for hard drug sales and use at his City Hub Inn, Mile 50, Abakaliki,” the statement partly read.

He said that the case was later transferred to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for further actions.

The statement further read, “CP Aliyu Garba, therefore, makes it categorically clear that Hon Okorie was neither abducted nor kidnapped and warns that people should desist from painting pictures of insecurity in the State by propagating unfounded rumours.

“Ebube Agu is a lawfully established local security outfit by the House of Assembly and Government of Ebonyi State and if the outfit as empowered by the State law, arrests anybody, it shouldn’t be interpreted as abduction or kidnapping.

“This is because those terms mean different things. However, it is expected that the outfit after effecting such arrest, should hand over the matter to the Police for further investigation and other necessary actions which have played out in this instance.”

The statement quoted the commissioner to have warned Ogbonna of Linus Okorie Caring Heart Foundation to henceforth know the implication of the wrong choice of words when next he dishes out information for public consumption, otherwise, he will face the consequences.

“The CP further reassures the good people of Ebonyi State that there is no cause for alarm and advises that everyone should go about their lawful businesses without any fear of molestation,” he added.

it was however gathered that Umahi ordered the arrest of Okorie.