JUST IN: Former Lawmaker Declared Wanted (See Why)

JUST IN: Former Lawmaker Declared Wanted (See Why)

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State on Tuesday declared Linus Okorie, a former two-time member of the House of Representatives, wanted over an inciting Facebook publication.

Okorie represented Ohanivo Federal Constituency at the House.

Umahi accused Okorie of allegedly making inciting statements on his Facebook page which heated up the polity particularly in the Ikwo Local Government Area of the state.

The governor further said that the former lawmaker’s social media post contributed to the beheading of an Ebubeagu operative in the local government area two weeks ago.

Okore is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and a known critic of the state government.

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The governor made this known while briefing journalists through the Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Commissioner of Information and State Orientation, Uchenna Orji and Mr Cletus Ofoke, shortly after a security meeting that took place at the New Government House, Centenary City, Abakaliki.

According to him: “Council considered a report presented to it by security agencies on the beheading of an Ebubeagu official in Ikwo local government area on 9th of January 2022.

“The council noted the report on the issues and the revelation contained on that report, and therefore resolved to declare wanted, one Hon Linus Okorie for the publication of an inciting statements, some of which were posted on Facebook that were traced to be part of the inflammatory publications that really invited that very tension that led to the beheading of the Ebubeagu official,” he stated.

The governor however urged security agencies to expedite action on the investigation with a view to bringing all those involved to face the law.

In a swift reaction, Okorie petitioned international communities to come to his rescue, stressing that his life is now in danger.

He said: “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 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 at 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 anywhere in Nigeria.”