The rumor of Linus Okorie, the Labour Party senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South, allegedly being kidnapped has been refuted by the police command in Ebonyi State.
In a statement he gave to reporters in Abakaliki on Monday, SP Chris Anyanwu, the command’s spokesman, said that Okorie was captured and not kidnapped.
He claimed that Okorie, a former member of the House of Representatives, was detained for drug-related offenses as well as several other crimes.
Anyanwu pleaded with the populace to stop spreading untrue rumors that would portray the state as unstable.
According to a press release attributed to Dr. David Ogbonna of the Linus Okorie CaringHeart Foundation, which claimed that the former member of the House of Representatives had been kidnapped on Sunday, “sequel to initial viral rumors renting the air, the State Police Command swung into action and later traced the said Okorie, who had evaded many Police arrests/invitations, to the head office of the Ebubeagu Security Outfit at
Police detectives were briefed on the circumstances surrounding his arrest, which included his actions and statements that incited and instigated the unrest that enveloped the Onicha Community and resulted in the release of suspected gunmen who caused havoc in the area in 2021.
As a result, the Police Command has now assumed control of the issue and will conduct a thorough investigation.
The State’s Attorney General/Commissioner for Justice filed a petition on March 23 saying that Okorie was disseminating false information about Governor Dave Umahi, and the Security and Intelligence Bureau of the Command issued many invitations to him as a result.
When asked to report by the SIB regarding the fake accusations/petition, Okorie resisted vehemently in his typical haughty style. Instead, he decided to bring false lawsuits against the Police Command.
The official added that Okorie has a case ongoing in which he is implicated in a drug-related offense where the suspects allegedly acting as his agents were detained for using and selling hard drugs at his City Hub Inn, Mile 50, Abakaliki.
