The Senate has ordered a probe into the arrest of the Chief Executive Officer of Innoson Motors, Innocent Chukwuma, by the anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
It directed its Committee on Anti-corruption and Financial Crimes to look into the case.
The committee is expected to report back to the Senate within 24 hours.
The decision of the Senate followed a point of order raised by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
Said he: “Yesterday I got a number of messages indicating that Mr Innocent Chukwuma was arrested by the EFCC over a transaction between him and GTB.
“This morning I made an effort and I spoke with him; his story is straight forward. He said he was at his house at 5:00 a.m. Tuesday when he heard gun shots and he thought they were assassins. So, he went into hiding. After about two hours he saw some policemen and he thought that help had come; he came out of his hiding and ran to the policemen who promptly arrested him.
“As he was trying to find out what was his offence, they told him when they got to the police station they would inform him of the offence. As at today nobody has told him what the offence is.
“Any person who is arrested and detained should be informed reason for his arrest. As I speak Mr. Innocent Chukwuma is yet to be informed of what led to his arrest or detention, but if you go through the media today, the story is that he is owing GTB. As a lawyer I’m at a loss how a transaction between someone and his bank will inform the EFCC.”
Ekweremadu said further: “The story he told me is that he is not owing the bank anything; he borrowed money from the bank which he has since repaid but the bank kept charging money and withdrawing it from his account. They set up an audit and the auditor came to a conclusion that they had deducted more than N500 million. He was insisting on 22 per cent, the bank said they will pay 17 per cent. So, that is where they had the disagreement and they now went to court.
“The fact that the matter is in court and it was a commercial transaction gives no room for the intervention of EFCC. I’d like to appeal to this Senate to ensure that Mr Innocent Chukuwma is released promptly.”
The EFCC announced the arrest of Chukwuma on Tuesday.
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According to the spokesperson of the anti-graft agency, Wilson Uwujaren, Chukwuma was arrested because he had earlier jumped an administrative bail.
Said Uwujaren: “His arrest followed his refusal to honour invitation by the Commission having earlier jumped an administrative bail granted him in a case being investigated by the Capital Market and Insurance Fraud Unit of the Commission’s Lagos office.”
The statement by EFCC reads in full: “A well known industrialist Chief Innocent Chukwuma popularly known by his company’s name, INNOSON, has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC .
“He was picked up at about 11am at his Savage Crescent, GRA Enugu residence today Tuesday December 19, 2017.
“His arrest followed his refusal to honour invitation by the Commission having earlier jumped an administrative bail granted him in a case being investigated by the Capital Market and Insurance Fraud Unit of the Commission’s Lagos office.
“Chukwuma rather than honoring invitation by the EFCC, mobilised six truck loads of thugs pretending to be staff of his company to his residence, where they manhandled EFCC operatives.
“It took reinforcement from the Enugu office of the EFCC to effect the arrest of the industrialist who is currently being grilled by a team of investigators.”
