Imo Ex-Deputy Governor Speaks On EFCC’s Arrest

Former Deputy Governor of Imo State, Gerald Irona says he was never quizzed by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for alleged corruption.

Naija News reports that Irona was the Imo deputy governor during the Emeka Ihedioha administration and a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain.

Irona, in a statement on Friday by his spokesman, Walter Duru, also denied that he was intercepted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja on Thursday and taken to the EFCC headquarters for interrogation.

The PDP chieftain disclosed that he was not under any form of investigation whatsoever, saying that such reports were fabricated to tarnish his image.

Irona, who said he was in his residence on Thursday, asked the general public to disregard the false news meant to mislead them.

The statement reads, “Our attention has been drawn to a malicious report on some online media platforms alleging that immediate past Deputy Governor of Imo State, Engr. Gerald Irona was arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission-EFCC.

“The report claimed that the former Deputy Governor was “intercepted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja and taken to the EFCC headquarters for interrogation.”

“The writer further alleged that the former Deputy Governor was involved in the collection of N400m monthly from the account of the Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission-ISOPADEC, during the administration of Chief Emeka Ihedioha; adding that the former Deputy Governor was also under investigation for allegedly mismanaging N5b counterpart funds for the Rural Access Mobility Project (RAMP). The report added that the former Deputy Governor did not return his passport to the EFCC after using it last year.

“Ordinarily, one would not have bothered responding to the mindless falsehood, but to put the records straight, we respond thus:

“The report is false in its entirety and has no iota of truth in it. Former Deputy Governor of Imo State, Hon. (Engr) Gerald Irona has no case with the EFCC.

“The fact that the writer neither contacted the EFCC Spokesman nor the Spokesman of the former Deputy Governor for confirmation clearly shows the intention of the sponsors of the false report.

“For the avoidance of doubt, immediate past Deputy Governor of Imo State, Hon. (Engr.) Gerald Irona was neither invited nor arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission-EFCC or any other Law Enforcement Agency in Nigeria.

“The former Deputy Governor, Engr. Irona is not under any form of investigation whatsoever. He is relaxing in his residence and is not arrested, invited or wanted by any law enforcement agency or any authority whatsoever, within and/or outside Nigeria.”