Ex-imo Governor Okorocha Denies Arrest After Police Confirm Release On Bail, Says Imo Govt Misled Nigerians

 

The statement came after SaharaReporters reported that police operatives arrested Okorocha at the REIZ Continental Hotel in Abuja on Monday night over allegations of criminal conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.

Former Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has denied being arrested by the Nigeria Police Force, insisting that a court order allegedly used to justify his arrest had been vacated in September.

In a statement issued on Monday, his Chief Press Secretary and Special Adviser on Media, Sam Onwuemeodo, accused the Imo State Government of misleading the public over the former governor’s alleged arrest and the legal proceedings surrounding the matter.

The statement came after SaharaReporters reported that police operatives arrested Okorocha at the REIZ Continental Hotel in Abuja on Monday night over allegations of criminal conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.

SaharaReporters subsequently reported that the police released the former governor on administrative bail after interrogating him for about an hour. He was directed to return to the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday, October 13, for further questioning.

However, Onwuemeodo insisted that Okorocha was never arrested, questioned or granted bail.

“Again, their latest story that Owelle Okorocha was arrested, and released after one hour, is also not true. And we equally stand to be contradicted,” he said

“Okorocha was never arrested. There was no bail. There was no statement. And let them prove us wrong.”

The statement also challenged the Imo State Government’s account of the court order allegedly connected to the matter, arguing that the document had ceased to be valid before October.

According to Onwuemeodo, the state government, through its Commissioner for Information, Mbadiw Emelumba, issued a statement on Monday titled “Bench Warrant: Okorocha’s Lies” in response to an earlier demand by the former governor’s camp for the government to produce the court order it had referenced.

He said the government attached a court order dated September 9, 2026, to its statement.

However, Onwuemeodo claimed that the same court had vacated the order on September 14, 2026, and argued that it could therefore not have remained in force in October.

“The Court Order they had used to deceive the general public, was dated September 9, 2026. The same Court Order, was vacated by the same Court, on September 14, 2026,” he said.

“You then ask, a Court Order issued on September 9, 2026, and vacated on September 14, 2026, by the same Court that issued it, could it be alive in October 2026? The answer is expectedly No.”

He demanded an apology from the Imo State Government, accusing it of misleading Nigerians and the international community.

Onwuemeodo also referred to petitions reportedly submitted by the Imo State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barrister Chukwuemeka Ibejiako, dated October 8, 2026.

He said Emelumba had clarified that the September 9 court order had no connection with the petitions, describing the distinction as significant to the dispute.

“We thank GOD for this. Let’s wait for their next unfounded lies,” he said.

The former governor’s media aide further argued that the matter was already before a court of competent jurisdiction and warned against statements that could prejudice the proceedings.

“All these stampede and lies, could be adjudged subjudice. And deliberate efforts to armtwist the Court, which is very very unfortunate,” he said.

Okorocha governed Imo State from 2011 to 2019 and represented Imo West Senatorial District in the Senate from 2019 to 2023.

Police Say Okorocha Was Released On Bail

SaharaReporters had reported, citing police sources, that operatives arrested Okorocha at the REIZ Continental Hotel in Abuja on Monday night after he allegedly failed to honour repeated invitations for questioning.

According to the sources, the police had initially invited him to the Force Headquarters on September 2, but the appointment was rescheduled to September 8 at the request of his legal team.

The sources alleged that Okorocha subsequently failed to appear on the rescheduled date, prompting investigators to seek a court order to compel his appearance.

In a subsequent update, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, confirmed that Okorocha had been released on administrative bail after questioning.

Iniedu said the former governor was expected to return to the Force Headquarters on Tuesday for further interrogation as investigations into the allegations continued.

The police have yet to publicly disclose the full details of the alleged acts of forgery, criminal conspiracy and impersonation under investigation.

SOURCE: SAHARA REPORTERS