The Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi has said the Ebonyi South Senatorial candidate of the Labour party, Chief Linus Okorie was arrested for defaming him.
Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Uchenna Orji, who briefed journalists, accused the former member of the House of Representatives of serially defaming the state governor.
He said contrary to the rumour making the rounds that the former lawmaker was kidnapped, he was actually arrested by Ebubeagu operatives and handed over to the police for investigation.
“It has become imperative to put the records straight over the sensations caused by the mendacious and deceptive account of the cronies of Hon. Linus Abba Okorie over his arrest, which was truly in connection with serial crimes allegedly committed by him and the complicity of his club facility – the City Hub, in promoting sundry crimes, especially in peddling hard drugs and other illicit substances.
“We have noted the motive behind the weighty but baseless accusations levelled against the security outfit that carried out its lawful and professional duty, in relation to the offences hanging around the neck of Hon. Linus Abba Okorie, and for which he had, for the umpteenth time, rudely and subversively evaded every attempt by the police to arrest him to answer to the crimes he was suspected to have committed, including capital offences. Contrary to the unfounded, irresponsible and vicious accusations widely circulated in the social media for cheap political gains, the suspect – Hon. Linus Abba Okorie, was arrested and promptly handed over to the police, and he is pretty hale and hearty.
He is already giving useful information on his roles in the offences reported against him.
“It is noteworthy to mention that in a petition dated March 23, 2022, and which was transmitted to the office of the Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Command on March 24, 2022, the Honourable Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice sought for the arrest of Hon. Linus Abba Okorie, over the maliciously concocted and virally circulated criminal and defamatory onslaught against the person of the governor, which violated the extant provisions of Ebonyi State Cyber crimes (Prohibition) Law No 012, 2021 and the Internal Security Law of the State. We were told the police made several efforts to arrest the said Hon Linus Abba Okorie, who was moving fugitively to frustrate the long arms of law.
“It is also noteworthy to mention that the Cyber crimes’ crack team in the Ministry of Information and State Orientation reported a criminal case of contravention of the cyber crimes laws of Ebonyi State by Hon. Linus Abba Okorie, dated January 20, 2022, and the same was acknowledged by the office of the Commissioner of Police on January 31, 2022. We were told that the said suspect – Hon Linus Abba Okorie, had been evading the cause of investigation.
“On October 16, 2022, actionable intelligence propelled the Ebubeagu Security Agency to operationally track the said Hon Linus Abba Okorie over security information that his staff, to his knowledge, was harbouring illicit drug traffickers in his club facility, one of whom had been arrested, charged to court and convicted in Charge No: FHC/AI/41C/2022 in the Federal High Court of Nigeria, in the Abakaliki Division.”
