Ifeanyi Okowa, former governor of Delta State has been arrested by the operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Okowa, who was running mate to former VP Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election was arrested over the alleged diversion of N1.3 trillion.
The amount is said to be part of the 13 percent derivation fund earmarked for oil-producing states of which Delta is one.
Checks with insiders involved in the investigation revealed that the funds were allegedly diverted between 2015 and 2023 during his eight-year tenure as governor.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain was arrested on Monday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state capital, when he reported to the EFCC office following an invitation over the matter.
The medical doctor who was a senator and former health commissioner in Delta is also being probed over another N40 billion allegedly used to acquire shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas — a facility being developed by UTM Offshore Limited in Akwa Ibom state.
The former governor was said to have failed to account for the utilisation of the funds.
The anti-graft agency is also investigating Okowa over the alleged diversion of funds “to acquire estates in Abuja and Asaba”.
Okowa, who is being held at the EFCC holding facility in Port Harcourt, was also a former local government chairman and secretary to the Delta state government.
