Ebonyi Ex Reps Member Raises Alarm, As Govt Declares Him Wanted Over Alleged Inciting Facebook Post

BY NDUBUISI NWOGHA, ABAKALIKI Former house of representatives member representing OHANIVO federal constituency in Ebonyi State, Hon. Linus Okorie has today raised alarm stating that the state government declaring him wanted was a tactics to maim and destroy his business situated in the state capital.

This was followed shortly after Ebonyi state government in the State Executive Council's meeting held at New Government House, Centenary City, Abakaliki, declared Hon Okorie wanted over an alleged inciting facebook posts that triggered the beheading of Ebubeagu security officials. Hon Okorie who in his reaction noted that the declaration was a way to gag the opposition parties' voices in the state and added that declaring him wanted was a plan to use men of Ebubeagu security outfit to kill him on excuse that he was running away from being arrested. According to statement issued by the former federal lawmaker, Hon Okorie noted that his life is in danger from governor Umahi's Ebubeagu security operatives. The statement reads: "My attention has been drawn to an alleged media briefing by the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information, Uchenna Orji, after what appears to have been a state security council meeting; in which he was reported to have announced that the Security Council declared one Linus Okorie wanted; an impugning that I am the one so declared wanted". " I wish to alert the world that this is another of the artful schemes of Governor Umahi to silence all opposition voices in Ebonyi state by criminalizing it’s high profile leaders, use Ebubeagu to kill me on the excuse that I was evading arrest and also a veiled excuse to close down CitiHub event centre which has long been the desire of the governor and his close Aides and family members. It is also a ploy to distract attention from the Carnage that Ebubeagu has been wrecking on the the people of Ebonyi state as symbolized by the riots and killings in Akaeze in the past few days. Governor Umahi is simply looking for a high profile scapegoat to take attention away from the many lives being lost to Ebubeagu operatives across the state; and he has chosen me using his State Security Council". "If, indeed, such a decision was arrived taken by the Security Council, one would doubt that the police and other security agencies were represented at such a meeting. This is because it is the duty of the Nigerian Police to investigate crimes and invite all named suspects for interrogation and even when a suspect fails to honor an invitation, there is a clear procedure that must be followed before such a person can be declared wanted by the police and not any security council meeting". "Let it be known that I have never been invited to answer to any allegations by the Nigerian Police or other security agencies any where in Nigeria". "Two, without so inviting by the police, I cannot lawfully be declared wanted by any authority for such an alleged crime by the police or any other authority under the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria". "Again, going through the excerpts of the media briefing, I find no particulars of the allegation leveled against me to warrant the defamatory declaration by the said state security council". "For the avoidance of doubt, the law demands that before making a Wanted Declaration on a public platform or any other for that matter, the police ought to obtain a warrant of arrest duly signed and endorsed by a competent court. The said warrant must also be presented at the point of arrest and in it", "Government has today announced it's decision of placed on wanted list the former national Assembly member representing OHANIVO federal constituency, Hon. Linus Okorie over his social media post on the security imbroglio that resulted to lost of lives at Ivo LGA of the state". Earlier, the state Commissioner For Information and State Orientation, Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji said the declaration of the immediate past reps member wanted was due to an alleged inciting facebook posts that resulted to security imbroglio that claimed lives of officials of the regional security outfit, Ebubeagu security members. "Security Council considered a report presented to it by security agencies on the beheading of Ebubeagu official at Ekawoke community in Ikwo LGA exactly on the 9th January of 2022 and Security Council noted that the report were issued on the revelation contained in that report, and, therefore resolved to declared wanted, one Honourable Linus Okorie for the publications and incitives or statements some of which were posted on facebook that were traced to be part of the inflammatory publications that really incited the situation that led to the beheading of Ebubeagu official". "Security Council also noted the revelations in the report that indicated that some other persons were accessories to the gruesome murder of that young man". "Security officials are also urged to intensify investigation to come to final conclusion with view to bring perpetrators to book" Orji added Barr Orji commended members of Ebubeagu security outfit for their proactive measures in curbing crimes in the state and called on general public to continue giving their support to rid the region from crime.