Alleged Fraud: EFCC Releases Detained Voice Of Nigeria Director-General

Osita Okechukwu, the director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, has been released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Okechukwu had been detained by the agency since January 29 over a case of conspiracy, abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of N1.3billion.

A report by PUNCH state that the DG had visited the Abuja headquarters of the anti-graft agency to honour an invitation but he was subsequently detained.

EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, on Saturday said Okechukwu had been released on bail. 

“He was released on Monday,” Uwujaren said.

Meanwhile, a civil society organisation, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, had earlier called on the anti-graft agency to release Okechukwu or charge him to court.

HURIWA in a statement had asked the EFCC to be law-abiding and civil by immediately releasing Okechukwu.

The group’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, had said this in a statement titled, ‘HURIWA Asks EFCC to release Chief Osita Okechukwu or charge him to court immediately’.

The statement read in part, “Detaining Osita Okechukwu arbitrarily and indefinitely violates constitutional provision in Section 34 which gives him right to respect to her human dignity.”

The group had called on the EFCC to “release Okechukwu or produce him in the competent court of law to prosecute him legally because Nigeria is not a Banana Republic”.