Arrests of govt officials: Youths protest against the EFCC in Owerri

Commercial activities and vehicular movements in Owerri, the Imo State capital were temporarily grinded to a halt last thursday when over 10,000 youths under the umbrella of conference of Imo progressive youths across the 27 Local Government Councils of the State took to the streets in a peaceful demonstration against the incessant harassment of the Owelle Rochas Okorocha’s Administration by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

The protesting youths who carried placards with inscriptions:”Owelle has redefined governance”, “Imo was raped from 1999-2003, Messiah has come”, and “EFCC stop insulting Imo people”, caused traffic gridlock in the Owerri metropolis thereby forcing commuters to walk to their destinations

Addressing journalists during the protests, the coordinator of the group Barrister Kennedy Ibe said that they were protesting against the continued harassment and distraction of the present government by some highly placed Imo citizens using the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFFC) as a willing tool to destabilize the Okorocha-led administration.

Barr. Ibe warned those Imo sons whose stock in trade is to engage in distracting the present administration by inviting EFCC or going to the media to castigate government to desist from it forth-with, adding that the present government has done well within the shortest period of time compared to the past administration of Chief Ikedi Ohakim that spent four years in office but has nothing to show for it.

On the current security situation in the State, the leader of the team described it as politically motivated and orchestrated by disgruntled politicians in the State and their cohorts in Abuja to distract and discredit the administration.
According to him, the recent arrests of the Accountant General, Commissioner for Finance and the clerk of the Imo House of Assembly by the EFCC is to cast aspersions on the present administration in Imo State.

Ibe commended the governor, stating that he has achieved more than all the past administrations especially in terms of education and infrastructural development. In his words;
“The minister for Information was here with the Good Governance Team and he confirmed that the governor is doing a good job because he saw the massive infrastructural development in the State. We are not fooled by the recent actions of the EFCC because we know it was all masterminded by selfish politicians and we want to warn them to stop interfering in the rebirth of Imo. We have decided to lend our support to his administration because we wanted a governor who had a passion for progress and development and we found all that in Owelle,” he said.