3billion diversion: Ebonyi PDP chieftain condemns incarceration of whistleblower

From Ann Igwe, Abakaliki

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP senatorial candidate for the just conducted bye election in Ebonyi South Senatorial District, Barrister Silas Onu, has condemned the arrest of Mr. Chika Nwoba, an ex-spokesman of the party in the state, for being a whistleblower on the alleged diversion of the sum of 3 billion naira by a serving Commissioner. It's recalled that a petition forwarded to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Enugu Zonal Office, Mr. Nwoba alleged that the current commissioner for Commerce and Industry in the state, Mr. Oguzu Offia Nwali, has diverted the sum of 3 billion naira, which the state government has mapped out for the empowerment of indigenous street hawkers across the country. Reacting to the allegations, Mr. Oguzu Offia Nwali reportedly arrested the whistleblower in his residence at Awka, Anambra State, on Sunday and subsequently arraigned him before a magistrate court presided over by Mrs. Lilian Ogodo in Abakaliki, the state capital, on Tuesday, who remanded him at the state correctional center for lack of jurisdiction to entertain the matter and referred it to the high court scheduled for March 1, 2024. Questioning the arrest and subsequent arraignment of the whistleblower, Barrister Silas Onu, in a statement forwarded to journalists in Abakaliki, he described it as a sad development that exposing corruption in the state has become life-threatening. "It’s sad that in today’s Ebonyi State, exposing corruption comes with a threat to the life of the whistleblower. I thought that Nwoba Chika Nwoba had taken steps to verify and substantiate his allegations by writing a petition to the EFCC. "Why will the police be so willing to be used for purposes of silencing Nwoba? Well, they have succeeded in keeping him in prison via a well-coordinated arraignment before a court they knew had no jurisdiction, and the magistrate delivered what they actually desired." Barrister Onu, who lamented over the situation, regretted that the unprofessional action of some security agencies in the country has jeopardized the essence of community policing and opined why the idea of state police would not succeed in the country. "This is why state police will never work in Nigeria. Imagine how the federal police are already being used by an ordinary commissioner.  "Chika Nwoba won’t be in prison forever, and the allegations he made will also not disappear, as some of us are now willing to join in and ensure that the truth is not swept under the carpet via intimidation and harassment. "Now, we will all become Chika Nwoba and ensure that all acts of corruption are exposed, whoever is involved." Onu said this while calling on the state governor, Rt Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, to ensure that the rule of law is maintained in the state. "His harassment is hereby condemned, and I call on the Governor of Ebonyi State to rein in on his appointees by ensuring that no one is placed beneath the law. "I will formally ask Transparency International to take steps towards unearthing the veracity of the allegations against the appointees of the State Governor. I do hope and pray that their books are transparent and that the beneficiaries of the said fund are traceable targets of the said fund.  "We cannot be complacent because the police will be used to harass us and then refuse to expose corruption; we will take up the fight from where they have distracted Chika. I know that he had some facts to back up his claims before going public, as he never speaks flippantly." Onu stated.