Imo govt auctioning my vehicles, Okorocha alleges

From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri

One year after the Royal Palm Hotel, Owerri, was recovered from the former governor of Imo State, Senator Rochas Okorocha, and sealed as the property of the State government, the former governor has alleged that his vehicles and those of his aides parked at the hotel premises are currently being auctioned by the State government.

Okorocha, who made the disclosure, yesterday, in a statement, through his Special Adviser on Media, Sam Onwuemeodo, alleged that the vehicles, which he said were over 50, were taken to the Government House, instead of the police command, for auctioning.

Part of the statement reads: “The cars would have been taken to the court, where some of the owners of the cars recovered at the hotel have been standing trial, especially when the vehicles may be tendered as exhibits in the course of the trial.

“Unfortunately, the vehicles were taken to the Government House. The government has gone ahead to auction the private cars of the former governor of the state, those of his security personnel, his aides, political associates, those of Rochas Foundation College and so on, who were with him on the day the attack at Royal Palm Hotel took place. In doing that, they had thrown caution to the wind. And you ask, on what grounds were the vehicles auctioned?

“Aside from the vehicles, there are valuable materials and documents in some of them, including international passports, and one had expected that the police would have taken all those items or materials and documents into their custody.   

“And, if the government could auction the private vehicles of the former governor and his aides and associates, it means they must have also shared the important materials and documents we are talking about among themselves. They must have also disposed of other assets with cases on them, either at the High Court or the Appeal Court,” Okorocha alleged.

Meanwhile, the former governor has appealed to the Inspector General of Police to instruct the Commissioner of Police in lmo to release the vehicles recovered at the Royal Palm Hotel and other important materials and documents in some of the cars.

Reacting to the allegations by Okorocha, the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, denied the claims, insisting that the premises of the Royal Palm Hotel remained sealed.

“Go and see for yourself, has the place been opened, let alone being auctioned? The place is still sealed,” Emelumba said.