Ebonyi: Linus Okorie’s Arrest To Frustrate His Senatorial Ambition – Barr Ogbonna

The Sunday’s arrest of Hon Linus Okorie is Gov Dave Umahi’s ploy to frustrate his senatorial ambition in 2023, Barr Amos Ogbonna, director, Centre for Non-Violence for Social Change, said during a Dream92.5Fm Political Voices monitored in Enugu on Wednesday.

Recall that Okorie was allegedly arrested by operatives of the Ebubeagu Security Network, and remanded at their office at the Old Ebonyi Government House office. He is the senatorial candidate of the Labour Party for Ebonyi South.

Dr David Ogbonna, the executive director of Caring Heart Foundation, an NGO founded by Hon Okorie, had claimed that his boss was arrested on Sunday by Ebubeagu and it took till 6pm for them to track where he was being kept through phone tracking.

He said, “We learnt men of Ebubeagu picked him. We found he was at the Old Ebonyi Government House. There was no warrant of arrest. Ebubeagu abducted him. They tortured him. It was after we raised alarm that the state police command claimed that they heard about the rumours.”

The state police command’s PRO, Mr Chris Anwanyu, had in a statement, claimed the police swung into action after hearing about his arrest, and found him in the office of Ebubeagu, where the police picked him for interrogation after which he was charged at an Abakaliki Magistrates’ Court. Okorie is currently remanded at the Nigerian Correctional Centre, Abakaliki, pending the outcome of his case on November 4, 2020.

Barr Ogbonna, however, described the manner of arresting Hon Okorie as ‘abduction’. According to him, “It is regretted that they brought charges bordering on murder, inciting communal violence, and drug peddling. There is no evidence that he has ever been invited for questioning on any of these discharges.

“It was abduction by a militia called Ebubeagu. There was no order of the court, not even from the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency or the DSS. These matters started not today. At a time, Linus Okorie went to a Federal High Court, and got a ruling stopping the state government from harassing him over these trumped-up charges, and was even awarded N60m damages.

“It is political witch-hunting because he is contesting the senatorial seat against the governor for Ebonyi South zone. The governor does not want to contest against anybody.”

Ebonyi State commissioner for information, Uchenna Orji, however, defended Ebubuagu. He said, “Ebubeagu is established by the Law of the State House of Assembly. It collaborates with similar security agencies, and that is why there is law and order in the state. We don’t observe sit-at-home, and there are no cases of abduction in the state. They are permitted to arrest and hand over to the police for prosecution.”