Nigeria news : Okorocha denies returning N7.9bn to EFCC, challenges commission to publish bank accounts

Rochas Okorocha, former governor of Imo State, has debunked claims by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that N7.9 billion was recovered from him.

Mr. Usman Imam, Head of the Port Harcourt zone of the EFCC, had during a press conference on Thursday said the commission recovered N7.9 billion from the former governor and returned to the Imo State government.

He also claimed that properties worth billions of naira recovered in the course of investigations have been forfeited to the Federal Government.

Imam was quoted as saying “Out of the N2.7bn already returned to Imo State, the immediate past governor of the state, Emeka Ihedioha, received N2.5bn, while Hope Uzodinma received N514m in May.”

Reacting Okorocha in a statement by his aide, Sam Onwuemeodo maintained that the anti-graft agency did not recover N7.9 billion or any other amount of money from him.

He, however, challenged the EFCC to publish details of the Bank accounts the money was found and the owners of the accounts.

“With this denial, we, therefore, challenge EFCC or Mr. Imam as the one who made the claim, to prove us wrong by publishing details of the Bank Accounts the money was found and the owners of the accounts.”

The Senator urged the EFCC to take his denial seriously because Nigerians would like to know who is saying the truth or lying.

“Where the commission finds out that it had misinformed the public and had also blackmailed the former Imo Governor, perhaps unconsciously, we expect the commission or Mr. Imam to do the needful.

”Since Mr. Imam has begun media trial, let the properties be also published for Nigerians to know the truth.” he added