Crimes

Ebonyi police: Senatorial candidate arrested for drug case, not abducted

The Ebonyi State Police Command has debunked the reports making the rounds that the Labour Party senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South, Linus Abaa Okorie, was abducted in the state.

The command noted that Okorie, a former member of the House of Representatives, was not abducted but arrested by the operatives of Ebubeagu security outfit at the Old Government House in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.

The Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Chris Anyanwu, made this known via a statement issued and made available to The Star on Monday.

Anyanwu noted that Okorie, who had evaded many police arrests and invitations, was arrested on Sunday by the Ebubeagu operatives for a drug-related offence and his alleged involvement in the killings of seven persons in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State by gunmen suspected to be IPOB/ESN members.

The police spokesperson stated that the former lawmaker was also arrested for allegedly spreading fake news against the governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, that the governor illegally withdrew N6.7 billion from the state government’s account to fund the Appeal Court judgement against his removal from office.

“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. Case was later transferred to the NDLEA for further necessary actions.

“The Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Command, CP Aliyu Garba, therefore, makes it categorically clear that Honourable Linus Abaa Okorie was neither abducted nor kidnapped and warns that people should desist from painting pictures of insecurity in the state by propagating unfounded rumours.

“Ebubeagu is a lawfully established local security outfit by the House of Assembly and Government of Ebonyi State. If the outfit as empowered by the State Law, arrests anybody, it shouldn’t be interpreted as abduction or kidnapping because those terms mean different things,” Anyanwu stated.

He, however, stated that the security outfit after effecting such arrest would hand over the matter to the police for further investigation and other necessary actions.

The Star