THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has released the Director-General, Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, who was detained over alleged fraud. This was as civil society organisation, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, called on the anti-graft agency to release Okechukwu or charge him to court.
Mr. Okechukwu was detained on January 29, 2022 over a case of conspiracy, abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of N1.3bn. He had visited the Abuja headquarters of the anti-graft agency to honour an invitation but he was subsequently detained.
EFCC source say that Mr. Okechukwu was released on bail while the investigations continue.
It could be recalled that 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”.