Justice Taiwo Taiwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja has granted a motion ex parte barring the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Department State Services, DSS, and other security agencies from investigating or arresting the immediate past Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha.
Prior to the judge’s ruling, Okorocha told the court that he got information from a top detective at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC that the acting Chairman of the commission, Ibrahim Magu, and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, were holding secret meetings on how to eliminate or imprison him.
The former Governor further made available a text message sent to him by the operative to the court.
The text message provided by Okorocha reads, “Your Excellency, I will like to give you this information. You must be careful. There is a plan to either eliminate you or sink you politically. They said you want to contest for the deputy senate presidency, a position that will give you an edge to contest as President in 2023, so everything must be done to get you out of the way.
“The arrowhead of this plot is Adams Oshiomhole. He has vowed that he will block you from realising your ambition and the first step towards achieving this was to make sure your preferred successor did not emerge. He has been having secret meetings with our Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, over your matter.
“One of my colleagues, Abdullahi, has been given the task to liaise with INEC and meet with one Aminu in the legal department of INEC and two powerful women in the department as well as some national commissioners over your matter.”
Okorocha, in his originating motion with suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/475/19, told the court that he had come under serious attack from Oshiomhole because he worked against his (Oshiomhole) bid to become the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
In a supporting affidavit, the ex-Governor said that the APC national chairman also blamed him for his alleged detention by the Department of State Services during the build-up to the 2019 general elections.
It stated further, “The plan has now reached a crescendo and desperation in view of the failure of the respondents to find anything incriminating against me and the decision now taken by the instigator of the respondents is to arrest and detain me in Abuja.”
Okorocha further claimed that his wife, children and in-laws were already being targeted for arrest.
However, in a counter-affidavit, the EFCC refuted all the allegations levelled against it by the lawmaker.
In the counter-affidavit deposed to by the litigation of the EFCC, Samson Oloje, the commission said the Senator’s claim that an operative informed him of secret meetings between Oshiomhole and Magu was baseless.
Also in their counter-affidavits, the Department of State Services, DSS, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission denied claims by Okorocha that they were being used by the APC to victimise him.
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