Police Arrest Side Chick Who Drugged and Stabbed Super TV CEO, Ataga To Death

More details have emerged about what led to the death of Michael Usifo Ataga on Thursday and who actually killed him.

Ataga, the CEO of Super TV and a director with Super, who resided in Banana Island, Lagos, was reported missing on Sunday by concerned friends and family after all efforts to reach him proved abortive.

Checks at his Victoria Island office showed that he wasn’t there either and this put everyone in a panic mode including his wife and children, who reside in Abuja.

Unfortunately, his lifeless body was found on Thursday morning in a flat in Lekki phase 1, Lagos with multiple stable wounds after several withdrawals were made from his account. Usifo, who would have been 50 years old this week had reportedly met a girl about two weeks ago and they began a relationship. He wass married to a manager in Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.

Usifo allegedly rented Airbnb in Lekki, Lagos where they both checked into before the unfortunate incident. Following his disappearance, a combined team of concerned friends, family members, the police and DSS operatives all the way from Abuja through the concerted efforts of the wife, were said to have tracked down the owner of the Airbnb, who received payment from the woman’s bank account into which Ataga had previously made a transfer for the payment to.

The apartment was reportedly broken into and that was where he was found dead with multiple stabs in his neck, chest and thigh.

Apparently, the woman allegedly carried out the murder after she must have drugged him as the security guards at the rentals said no 3rd party came visiting Ataga and the woman besides a dispatch rider who brought drugs for the girl.

The woman, who was last seen on Tuesday when the murder happened, was equally tracked down and arrested alongside the owner of the Airbnb. Many of Ataga’s friends have expressed shocked at how the lady was able to pull the dastardly act all alone as Ataga was said to have been an amateur boxer who was very strong.

“After the woman left the apartment following his gruesome death, money began to disappear from Atage’s Guaranty Trust Bank account and it was when an email from Ataga’s email address asked for a change in his account details, did the withdrawals stop. With this, GTBank put an embargo on the account to prevent any further withdrawal.

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Suspension Of Twitter In Nigeria: Banky W, Adesua Etomi, Tacha, M.I, Toolz React

Twitter has reacted to the indefinite suspension of the social media site by the Nigerian government, expressing concern. 

A statement by a Twitter spokesperson said:

“The announcement made by the Nigerian Government that they have suspended Twitter’s operations in Nigeria is deeply concerning. We’re investigating and will provide updates when we know more.”

While Twitter does not have physical offices in Nigeria, the platform is freely available in the country and has up to 2 million users, according to some estimates. The government’s suspension as announced by Lai Mohammed, the Minister for Information and Culture, has been interpreted as a potential directive to Internet Service Providers to cut off users’ access to the social media platform.

As we have reported, the suspension is a culmination of a three-day drama. It started when Twitter deleted a tweet by President Muhammadu Buhari for violating its rules.

A few hours after Twitter’s action, Mohammed, the Information Minister, held a press conference in which he denounced the US social media company for having a suspicious agenda in Nigeria. He accused Twitter of enabling violence during #EndSARS protests in October 2020.

In the end, he justified his suspension of Twitter on the grounds of “persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.”

The suspension brings Twitter squarely into the heat of the debate about the intersection of democracy and internet freedom in Africa.

When they announced that Ghana will be the location of their first Africa office, Twitter said it was because Ghana is “a champion for democracy, a supporter of free speech, online freedom, and the Open Internet, of which Twitter is also an advocate.”

Twitter remains available in Nigeria at the time of publishing this – two and half hours after the announcement was posted on the Information Ministry’s verified Twitter account. It remains to be seen when the suspension takes effect and what actions Twitter takes.

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USSD: Telcos Insist On Disconnecting Banks

Telecommunications operators in the country are again planning to disconnect commercial banks from the use of Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD), New Telegraph has learnt. This is even as the banks’ debt for the service is said to have risen to over N47 billion as of end of May. Sources within the industry told our correspondent that the banks had indicated that they were not ready to pay the debt while they continue to enjoy the service.

“The disconnection of the banks from our USSD platform is inevitable as we have now realised that the banks are not willing to pay the debt, which is accumulating every day and now over N47 billion “They want to continue to make money through our platforms and they are not ready to pay,” one of the sources said. This is coming in spite of the recent intervention by the Minister of Communi-cations and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, which led to the suspension of the earlier threat of disconnection by the telcos.

To address the issue, the minister on March 15, 2021, summoned a meeting involving representatives of mobile network operators, Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), banks (represented by the Chairman, Body of Bank CEOs) and the sector regulators – Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). A statement issued after the meeting said there was a resolution that “effective March 16, 2021, USSD services for financial transactions conducted at DMBs and all CBN – licensed institutions will be charged at a flat fee of N6.98k per transaction.

This replaces the current per session billing structure, ensuring a much cheaper average cost for customers to enhance financial inclusion. This approach is transparent and will ensure the amount remains the same, regardless of the number of sessions per transaction.” Specifically, on the existing debt, which was put at N42 billion then, the statement, jointly signed by the Head, Corporate Communications, CBN, Osita Nwanisobi, and Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Dr. Ikechukwu Adinde, said: “a settlement plan for outstanding payments incurred for USSD services, previously rendered by the MNOs, is being worked out by all parties in a bid to ensure that the matter is fully resolved.” However, telecom operators said nothing had been done to implement any of the resolutions months after.

“Nothing has changed after the meeting. The banks continue to use the USSD platforms without paying and the debt continues to mount. “We cannot continue this way, hence, we have decided to disconnect the banks. In fact, we would have disconnected them this week, but the NCC asked us to hold,” an official of one of the telecom operators said. Meanwhile, a few weeks after the joint meeting, the banks were reported to have claimed that they were not indebted to any telecom operators. “There is no such thing as an obligation due from banks to telcos,” Chief Executive Officer of Access Bank Plc, Herbert Wigwe, was quoted to have said at an investor call in Lagos.

“We chose not to make a public statement out of it because it is not appropriate for us to be found fighting with telcos in public,” he added. The telcos had earlier threatened to disconnect the banks from March 15, 2021, which prompted the meeting that led to the suspension. In a statement released through their umbrella body, the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), the telcos had said that the withdrawal of the service became inevitable as the banks have refused to pay their debts.

“Our members are initiating a phased process of withdrawal of USSD services, starting with the most significant debtors within the Financial Ser-vice Providers (FSPs) effective Monday, March 15, 2021. While the withdrawal of USSD service is in place, we encourage our subscribers to kindly explore alternative channels with their banks,” ALTON had said in a statement signed by its Chairman, Engr. Gbenga Adebayo. According to Adebayo, it had been more than eight months since the NCC issued an updated pricing methodology for USSD services for financial transactions in Nigeria.

The methodology, he said, explicitly restricted mobile network operators from charging the end-user for the services and mandates the banking sector to enter into negotiations to settle outstanding obligations and agree on individual pricing mechanisms to be applied going forwards. “During this time, mobile network operators have continued to provide access to USSD infrastructure and our members have continued to pay all bank charges and fees to access the banking industries assets and customers, despite the fact that obligations due from banks to telecoms companies for USSD services has reached over N42 billion,” Adebayo had said in the statement.

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FG Appeals to Nigerian Youths to Stop Renouncing Their Citizenship

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has appealed to young Nigerians to stop the trend of renouncing their citizenship in pursuit of greener pasture. According to him, it is worrisome and counterproductive.

The Minister expressed his concerns when he spoke at the Ministerial Alignment Meeting of the Presidential Task Force on Deliverables for Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of Government.

Represented at the meeting by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Dr. Shuaib Belgore., the Minister said the Federal government would put up a mechanism in place that would keep young Nigerians busy in productive activities.

He appealed to the youths to stop renouncing their citizenship.

Aregbesola said a committee would be set up in the Ministry with stakeholders to oversee the operations and implementation of the deliverables.

He announced that the committee would be chaired by the Director, Planning Research and Statistics (PRS) in the Ministry, Mr. Kabiru Ayuba, with representatives of the four Services under the Ministry and other relevant officers.

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We Have Reduced Kidnapping and Banditry With NIN – Isa Pantami says

The Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami says banditry and kidnapping have reduced since his office introduced the policy compelling Nigerians to obtain a National Identification Number.

Pantami made the claim in Abuja on Thursday, June 3, while rendering an account of his stewardship since assuming office, in 2019.

“When I was assigned to supervise the sector on 24, August 2019, unregistered, and partial registered sims were being used to perpetrate crime in the country. Nobody knew the total number of unregistered sims.

Within less than 15 days in the office, we have engaged the NCC as a regulator. We have directed them to carry audit exercise to enable them come up with unregistered and partial registered sims. They came with around 9.4 million which is enough to populate another country. It was the first time we didn’t know the total of unregistered sims in the country.

And we went further to direct NCC, to ensure that by 25th September 2019, that is only one month few days in office, I spent there to ensure that by end of September 2021, no sim that is not registered will be on our network. NCC as a regulator implemented that effectively.

From end of September 2019, to 2020, you will discover that even kidnapping and banditry reduced to the barest minimum. It was a time that hardly can you spend one month or more without hearing about kidnapping.

The more you come up with policies to make the system effective the more criminals will come up with another strategy to compromise the policies.”he said

 

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Federal Government Suspends Twitter’s Operations in Nigeria

The Federal Government has suspended, indefinitely, the operations of the microblogging and social networking service, Twitter, in Nigeria.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, announced the suspension in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, citing the persistent use of the platform for activities that are capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

According to the minister, the Federal Government has also directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to immediately commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in Nigeria.

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NYSC Debunks Media Reports Claiming its DG Announced Plans to Mobilise Corps Members For War

The National Youth Service Corps NYSC has debunked media reports claiming its DG, Brig. Gen Shuaibu Ibrahim, had announced plans to mobilise corps members for war.

In a recent interview with Channels TV, Ibrahim said corps members are part of the national defence policy of Nigeria and that where they is a serious war, they can be trained for use.

Some media houses interpreteted his comment to mean that corp members were to be mobilised to fight in areas where there are crises.

In a rebuttal published on its social media page, the scheme statement that at no time did the DG say coprs members are to be mobilised for war.

Read the rebuttal below

This is to clarify the misrepresentation of the NYSC Director-General’s recent interview with the media currently trending on the social media.

The Director-General had stated that in line with the National Defence Policy, Corps Members are like soldiers on reserve, because their education, exposure and sophistication, can make them easily adaptable to military training.

He charged them to remain focused and patriotic; and for the spirit of NYSC to live in all Nigerians.

General Ibrahim never at any point said that Corps Members are being mobilised to fight war.

The Scheme shall continue to safeguard the interest of Corps Members at all times.

Management.

 

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CONSTITUTION REVIEW: The Senate Should Be Scrapped to Reduce Cost of Governance - Gov. Akeredolu says

As the process of amending the 1999 Constitution is ongoing, the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has called for a unicameral legislature for the country.

Specifically, the governor said the upper chamber of the National Assembly should be scrapped while the Assembly should be on part-time basis to reduce the cost of governance.

Akeredolu stated this at the Akure Centre of the South-West Zonal Public Hearing on the review constitution, held at the International Cultural and Event Centre, Akure, the state capital, on Tuesday.

Represented by his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the governor said the position of the state was for the Federal Government to be reduced in weight and responsibilities.

He said, “The position of the Ondo State Government has been made public. We advocate for a Federal Government largely reduced in size and scope of engagement. We want to see a Constitution that will enhance the performance of public office holders at all levels.

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China Records World’s First Case of Human Infection With H10N3 Bird Flu

China has reported the first case of human infection with the H10N3 strain of bird flu from the country’s eastern Jiangsu province, China’s National Health Commission said on Tuesday June 1. 

The man, a 41-year-old resident of the city of Zhenjiang, was hospitalised on April 28 after developing a fever and other symptoms, the NHC said in a statement.

The patient was diagnosed as having the H10N3 avian influenza virus on May 28, National Health Commission said in a statement without elaborating on how the man had got infected with the virus.

The man was stable and ready to be discharged from hospital. Medical observation of his close contacts had not found any other cases.

No other cases of human infection with H10N3 have previously been reported globally, it said.

H10N3 is a low pathogenic, or relatively less severe, strain of the virus in poultry and the risk of it spreading on a large scale was very low, the NHC added.

The strain is “not a very common virus,” said Filip Claes, regional laboratory coordinator of the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases at the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific.

Only around 160 isolates of the virus were reported in the 40 years to 2018, mostly in wild birds or waterfowl in Asia and some limited parts of North America, and none had been detected in chickens so far, he added.

Analysing the genetic data of the virus will be necessary to determine whether it resembles older viruses or if it is a novel mix of different viruses, Claes said.

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Emmanuel Osodeke Emerges New ASUU President

The immediate past vice-president of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Emmanuel Osodeke, has emerged as the new president of the union. 

A professor of soil science at the Federal University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, Osodeke was elected president of the union during a three-day conference, which held at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State today Sunday, May 30.

He took over from Biodun Ogunyemi, a professor of education at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State whose tenure ended last week.

Other members of the union, who were elected alongside Mr Osodeke, include Chris Piwuna of the University of Jos as vice president; Olusiji Sowande of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), Ogun State, as treasurer while Ade Adejumo, a professor from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, was elected as financial secretary.

Also, a lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt, Austen Sado, was elected as investment secretary; Adamu Babayo from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi, was elected the union’s internal auditor while Stella-Maris Oke from Cross Rivers State University of Science and Technology, was elected as the new welfare secretary.

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Ahmed Gulak: Police Gun Down Killers of APC Chieftain After Fierce Battle

The Imo State Police Command has shot dead the suspects allegedly responsible for the assassination of Ahmed Gulak, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC). 

Bala Elkana, the spokesperson for the command in a statement via Facebook on Sunday, May 30, said operatives of the command’s tactical units, intelligence response team, and police mobile force killed the assailants during a gun battle.

The police disclosed that riffles, pistol, ammunition, and the vehicles the slain hoodlums used in killing the former presidential aide were recovered by the operatives.

The police spokesperson said the killers were traced after eyewitnesses and Gulak’s driver gave a vivid description of the assailants and the vehicles they used in carrying out the attack.

The police said:

The assailants were said to have used a Toyota Camry 2005 model with silver color; Toyota Sienna 1998 Model with golden color; Toyota Hilux with white color; and a Lexus RX 330 with golden Color. (Registration numbers are withheld for security reasons).

Having established the identity of the assailants and the description of the vehicles used in carrying out the attack, the teams further got details of the direction the hoodlums have taken. With further leads, the team was able to establish the location of the suspects.”

The police stated that the suspects were located at Afor Enyiogugu junction in Aboh-Mbaise local government area where they were found distributing onions to locals from a trailer they confiscated.

According to the command, the hoodlums who were providing security coverage to those sharing the onions opened fire on the police teams on sighting them.

The police said its forces returned fire, killing six hoodlums who carried out the killing and fatally injuring four other members of the gang.

The command stated that the driver who drove late Ahmed Gulak identified the dead assailants as those who killed the politician.

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Ahmed Gulak’s Death Calculated to Instigate The Northerners Against The Igbos – Gov. Akeredolu

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state has described the murder of Ahmed Gulak’ as senseless and wicked, saying it was calculated to Instigate the Northerners against the Igbos.

The former Presidential aide was murdered on his way to catch a flight at Sam Mbakwe International Airport.

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state openly condemned the greusome murder in a statement titled ; Ahmed Gulak; A Killing Too Senseless and Wicked.

In his words he said, “The killing of the former presidential aide is calculated to instigate Nigerians against each other, particularly northerners against the igbos living outside the South-East. We must confront the enemies of the people with a view to neutralizing them. This is definitely not the time for political correctness. Banditry should not be allowed to subvert the legitimacy of the current government at all levels”.

While some persons said the murder was political, others said it was connected with ethnicity.

Akeredolu further said ” We call on all security agencies to collaborate with a view to unviel the criminal elements sponsoring and undertaking terrorist acts. They must be punished severely”.

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Checkout Photos Of The Policewoman That Shot Sowore

Altine Daniel, a Chief Superintendent of Police has been identified as the officer who shot human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore during a protest to demand an end to insecurity in the country. 

Sowore was on Monday morning shot in the right side of the stomach towards the hip by Daniel at the Unity Fountain, Abuja while he was trying to gain entrance into the place.

The activist was said to have been speaking with a detachment of police officers stationed at the public facility when the female officer fired at him.

See the video below..

WATCH: How @YeleSowore Was Shot By CSP Altine Daniel At Unity Fountain, Abuja During Protest Against Insecurity #RevolutionNow
FULL VIDEO: https://t.co/1aJ1QbYnkX pic.twitter.com/xRsQdz0hrg

— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) May 31, 2021

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MURIC Condoles With Pastor Adeboye Over Son’s Death

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has condoled with the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Pastor Enoch Adeboye, over the death of his son, Dare Adeboye. 

Dare, pastor Adeboye’s third son died in his sleep on Tuesday, 4th May 2021.

The Islamic human rights group described the death of Dare Adeboye as a test of faith for his father and his followers, according to a statement signed by its director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

“We are deeply touched by the death of Pastor Enoch Adeboye’s son, Dare Adeboye, at 42.

“But we know that it will pass. This is a trial to test the faith of Pastor Adeboye, his family members and his followers.

“We must be strong in tribulation. We must not be shaken because it is written that we may have to suffer various trials (I Peter 1:6)

MURIC prayed almighty Allah to give the pastor, his family, and the entire RCCG community the strength to bear the loss.

Pastor Dare, will be buried on Tuesday at the Redemption Camp, on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

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"Anybody Supporting This Government Suppose Go Hell Fire" – Singer Davido Says

Davido took to his Twitter handle to throw jabs at the government of the day. 

According to him, anyone who supports this government is supposed to go to hellfire. He said this while reacting to reports of the news of clergyman, Fr Mbaka, being reported missing days after he criticised the Buhari-led government.

”God how did it get to this man !!! Any body supporting this government suppose go hell fire Walai …. it’s not even ridiculous no more it’s disgusting and evil !!!!”

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BREAKING: Pastor Adeboye’s Son Dies at 42 (Photo)

Pastor Dare Adeboye, the son of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God Worldwide, Enoch Adeboye, is dead.

The PUNCH gathered that the 42-year-old, who was the third surviving child of the revered cleric, died in his sleep on Wednesday in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, where he was based with his family. (Youth) 35, had ministered the previous day.

He was said to have retired to his bed and did not wake up.

His wife, Temiloluwa, was said to have raised the alarm.

“He was not sick and did not complain of anything before the incident. Pastors in the church were summoned to pray for him, all to no avail,” a source added.

Several leaders of the church, who confirmed the incident, said they could not comment on it.

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UPDATE: Chadian President Killed In Gun Battle With Rebels

Chad’s President Idriss Déby has died suddenly in clashes with rebels in the north of the country at the weekend, the army has said on state TV.

On Monday, provisional results from the election on 11 April projected he would win a sixth term in office, with 80% of the vote.

The government and parliament have been dissolved. A military council will govern for the next 18 months.

Mr Déby, 68, was one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.

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Two Drug Traffickers Excrete 191 Pellets of Cocaine, Heroin at Lagos Airport

Two suspected drug traffickers intercepted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Lagos, have excreted 191 pellets of cocaine, heroin.

Director, Media & Advocacy of the agency, Femi Babafemi, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, April 18, said Chukwudi Destiny was arrested during the outward clearance of an Italy bound Ethiopian Airline.

“On 10th April 2021, during the outward screening of passengers on Ethiopian airline to Italy, NDLEA operatives at MMIA intercepted and referred one Chukwudi Destiny for scanning and the scan result proved positive to drug ingestion. Consequently, he was placed under excretion observation and in the process; he excreted 92 pellets of Heroin with a total weight of 1.300Kg,” the statement says.

On Friday 16th of April, 2021, another trafficker, Ezekiel Chibuzo who arrived Lagos from Brazil on board Qatar airline was also arrested for drug ingestion. He has so far excreted 99 wraps of cocaine.

Also on 12th April 2021, during the inbound examination of consignments on Ethiopian airline cargo flight from South Africa, operatives at SAHCO import shed made a seizure of 11.550kg of Heroin cleverly packed and concealed in corn flakes cartons. Four clearing agents are in custody in connection to the seizure.

According to the Commander, MMIA Command of the NDLEA, Ahmadu Garba, a sting operation was executed on the address provided by one the suspects.

In the process, a Congolese, Kayembe Kamba Mazepy was arrested. After his arrest, he mentioned another person who is to receive the parcel from him.

On the strength of the information, another sting operation was conducted in the early hours of Saturday 17th April, 2021 where the person that came to take delivery was arrested.

In a similar development, officers at export shed of the airport have also seized 822.950kg of khat leaves heading to UK and US.

Reacting to the latest drug haul at the airport, Chairman of NDLEA, Brig. General Mohamed Buba Marwa commended the officers and men of the MMIA Command for their commitment to the nations crusade against illicit drugs.

“While I commend the officers and men of our MMIA Command, let me again warn unrepentant barons and traffickers that the game is up for them because well continue to disrupt their criminal trade as part of efforts to secure our country and protect the future of our youths, Marwa stated in his message on Sunday.” he stated.

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It is Inhuman and Immoral to Force People to Take Coronavirus Vaccine – Bishop Oyedepo

Bishop David Oyedepo has shared his thoughts about the COVID-19 vaccination which is currently ongoing in the country.

The Founder of the Living Faith Church Worldwide (aka Winners’ Chapel) who spoke during his church’s Covenant Hour of Prayer programme, said he won’t take the COVID-19 vaccine because he is not a guinea pig.

Bishop Oyedepo further stated that it is inhuman and immoral to force people to take vaccine. He said;

“A generation where people are forced to take vaccines. It is inhuman; it is immoral sir. I’m not a lawyer, but I do not think it is legal. You can’t come to my house and want to give me injections.

“On what? Did I invite you? They are confused. But the church has the answer. Did you see any outbreak of virus here? How will it enter the gate? Will it come through the air?

“How? One woman just got down after that injection in Kaduna. What kind of life? Are human beings now turned to guinea pigs? The world is confused but the church is lighted.

“So the triumph of the church will humble the pride of the world. They don’t know what to do sir. In the last days, the church will be reigning in power and glory. That is God’s agenda.

“No apologies. There is a big, big bird in our land, saying ‘don’t take it, they are deceivers’. Let me see someone who will come and inject me. By who?

“Are you going to tie my hands? How? Did I invite you? I know you are quiet, you will hear more of it. My job is to expose the devil and tell his agents, ‘get off, we are not guinea pigs.”

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EFCC Arrested Okorocha Over ₦7.9 Billion Fraud

Senator Rochas Okorocha was grilled at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Tuesday for “suspected multiple cases of fraud and money laundering during his tenure as governor”.

Okorocha, representing Imo West in the Senate, was governor between 2011 and 2019.

He was arrested about 4pm according to a source in the anti-graft agency to answer questions on various allegations leveled against him including alleged N7.9 billion fraud.

The ex-governor is also being probed for another N1.5 billion hospital linked to one of his former aides.

The EFCC had secured a final forfeiture order on the hospital in the court of Justice T G Ringim of the Federal High Court in Owerri.

The state-of-the art 200-bed Dews of Hope Hospital, Owerri, was suspected to have been built with Imo State funds when Okorocha held the forte as governor.

An EFCC source said: “The ex-governor has been on the EFCC radar in the last three years over alleged N7. 9 billion money laundering. One of our investigators appeared in court and declared why he was wanted.

“He also has questions to answer on a separate N1.5 billion hospital built with funds from the Imo State accounts and traced to one of his former aides.

“On July 25, 2019, we invoked Section 17 of the Advance Fee Fraud, and other Related Offences Act 2006 to seize the hospital which ex-aide disowned.

“Okorocha has to explain the mystery behind the hospital. His former aide and members of board of directors of the hospital said they did not know how it was built.

“The managing director of the hospital, on invitation, could not also explain how the hospital project was funded.

“But, preliminary investigation confirmed that a former permanent secretary during Okorocha’s administration was a signatory to the hospital’s accounts.”

The source added: “There may be other multiple cases as uncovered by the past and present administrations in the state. He is undergoing interrogation as I speak with you.”

It was unclear if Okorocha will be quizzed over N112.8 billion “dubious debts” owed the state by nine commercial banks.

A Commission of Inquiry had recommended that Okorocha should account for the debts.

The Head of Media and Publicity of EFCC, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said: “It is true that Okorocha has been arrested. It is about a case some of you are familiar with.”

Okorocha’s arrest was the climax of his attempt to stop his investigation by the EFCC in the last one year.

On May 18, last year, the former governor filed a suit to stop the EFCC from probing him.

He prayed the court to “direct the 1st defendant (EFCC) and the 3rd to the 10th defendants (the Imo state attorney-general (AG) and the Justice Iheaka-led probe panel on contract awards) to stay all further actions and proceedings until the 2nd defendant (the state AG) decides who should carry out the investigation.”

But on July 8, a Federal High Court in Abuja refused his application to restrain the EFCC from investigating him for alleged financial violations while in office.

Okorocha has also been having a running battle with Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma over alleged acquisition of public assets, including a university.

The state government also linked him to the recent attacks on Owerri by gunmen who invaded the state police headquarters and the Correctional Centre where they freed almost 2,000 prisoners.

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