Former Imo state governor and serving senator, Rocha Okorocha, has been arrested.

He was arrested on Sunday by operatives of the Imo state Police command in Owerri, the state capital.

Also arrested along with him were
his then deputy chief of staff (Domestics), Ijeoma Igboanusi and
Commissioner for Transportation under his administration, Lasbrey Okafor-Anyanwu.

The former governor was arrested by the Imo State police after  he dared Governor Hope Uzodimma to force the Royal Spring Palm Estate sealed by the state government opened.

Okorocha who was led into a sienna vehicle by a team of police, was driven to the command at about 5pm.

Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba said that the former governor took some thugs to the Royal Palm Estate and forcefully broke the government seal to gain entry into the estate

Confirming the arrest, the Police Public Relations Officer, Orlando Ikeokwu (SP), said that “the command received a distress call on unrest somewhere at Royal Palm Estate and we discovered that Senator Okorocha allegedly led some people to the place sealed by the state government”.

“This generated unrest and some youths from Owerri stormed the place. The Commissioner of Police has directed a full scale investigation into the incident and if found guilty, he would be prosecuted according to the provision of the law”.

Emelumba, told centrancomonline.com the former governor “will be arraigned tomorrow.”

Recall that the state commissioner for Lands, Enyinnaya Onuegbu, had on Friday said the government had recovered the estate on Akachi Road, Owerri.

Onuegbu added that government had sealed up the place till further notice.

He said the seizure was in compliance with the directive of the state gazette on the report of the Judicial Commission of Enquiry on the recovery of lands and other related matters.

“This is as a result of the recommendation of the commission that all illegal lands and structures acquired by the administrations between 2006 and 2019 should be taken over by the government,” he said.

The commissioner said the current administration was doing everything to recover all the stolen properties of the state, especially those carted away by the previous administration.

Onuegbu added that in line with the 3Rs mantra initiative of Uzodimma, the state must continue to work in line with the relevant laws and recommendations of government agencies and commissions no matter whose ox is gored.

(C) Centracomonline