The Imo State police command has said it will not hesitate to charge Senator Rochas Okorocha to court if investigations reveal that he committed an offence on Sunday while trying to unseal the Royal Spring Palm Estate which is reportedly linked to his wife, Nkechi.
Police spokesman Orlando Ikeokwu who made this known while featuring on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily said the Force will charge anybody found culpable, adding that if an investigation proves that Okorocha has committed an offence, he will be charged to court.
Okorocha was arrested after he went to the Royal Spring Palm with his supporters, policemen, soldiers and personnel of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps and ordered the unsealing of the estate.
Commenting on his arrest, Okorocha had alleged that his predecessor, Governor Hope Uzodimma, attacked him with “more than 1,000 thugs” but the state Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba, dismissed Okorocha’s claim, stressing that the former governor’s arrest was in line with the report of a White Paper, which indicated that the Royal Palm Estate was built with taxpayers’ money and not Okorocha wife’s property.
Police say Okorocha has since been released, while an investigation into the matter is ongoing.
Meanwhile, a Magistrate Court in Owerri has granted bail to an aide of ex-Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha and 13 others a ₦5m bond bail on each of the defendants.
The magistrate, B.U Adikaibe, who ruled on the bail application made for the release of the defendants also insisted that a traditional ruler in the state or a member of his cabinet must stand in as a surety.
Justice Adikaibe said the decision to grant the bail application by the counsel to the defendant, Eddy Onyema is owing to the fact that the charges against the defendants are not capital criminal offenses and are all bailable offenses even though the prosecuting counsel had earlier objected to the bail.
The 14 persons were arraigned before the court by the state Commissioner of Police, Nasiru Mohammed over 6- count charge.
The charges bother on conspiracy, disobedience to lawful order, willingly and unlawful destruction of the official seal of the Imo State Government, conduct capable of causing a breach of peace, unlawful Possession of firearms, and a defamatory action on social media against the Governor of Imo State with intent to injure the reputation of the state govt and person of Governor Hope Uzodimma.
