Group of people took over the streets at Onicha Igboeze community in the Onicha local government area of Ebonyi State on Monday morning to protest the alleged Kidnapping of the former Honourable member, representing Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Constituency in the Federal House of Representatives and currently the Labour Party Candidate for Ebonyi South Senatorial District, Honourable Linus Abaa Okorie.
The residents said the Labour Party Senatorial Candidate was allegedly Kidnapped by Ebubeagu security operatives on Sunday morning in Abakaliki, the state capital while on his way to meet his supporters at Onicha local government area of the state.
The youths, elderly men and women blocked the major roads in the community with placards, calling for the release of Honourable Linus Abaa Okorie.
Photographs of Honourable Linus Abaa Okorie being questioned at the Old Government House by operatives of Ebubeagu surfaced social media platforms while tension continued to mount in the state over the alleged Kidnapping.
Director of Linus’ CaringHeart Foundation, Dr. David Ogbonna had said on Sunday night that: “Honourable Linus Abaa Okorie was kidnapped early this morning on his way to his house in Abakaliki by gunmen known to be men of the Ebubeagu Security outfit allegedly sent by the Onicha Local Government Chairman.
“The available information confirms that he’d been severely tortured to a near-death situation, made naked, and pictures of him taken by his abductors.
“The information available at this moment confirms that their end-point motive is to torture him to death and dump his body at Ebonyi river”.
According to the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Garba, Honourable Linus Abaa Okorie was arrested and not Kidnapped by the Ebubeagu security operatives.
The Commissioner of Police in a statement signed by the Ebonyi State Command of the Nigeria Police Force Public Relations Officer, Chris Anyanwu, and made available by the media aides of Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, said that Honourable Linus Abaa Okorie was arrested by Ebubeagu security operatives over alleged false statement he made against the state Governor and pending drug related crime.
“Honourable Linus Abaa Okorie was severally invited by the Security and Intelligence Bureau of the Command over a petition dated 23/3/2022, authored by The State’s Attorney General/Commissioner for Justice, alleging that he was spreading fake news against His Excellency, Engineer Dave Umahi, accusing the Governor of illegally withdrawing 6.7 billion naira from State Government’s Account to fund the Appeal Court Judgment against his removal from office, etc”, the Commissioner of Police said.
