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•Abia Court remands revenue contractor for disregarding Gov’s order
From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has suspended the State Head of Service (HoS), Onyii Wamah and all the Permanent Secretaries, leaving only the Clerk of the House of Assembly and the Solicitor General of the state.
This is even as one Mr. Tochi Eiphraim, a revenue contractor, was remanded by a magistrate court in Umuahia, Abia State, for allegedly disobeying the governor’s directive to terminate all revenue collections in the state. The Clerk of the Assembly is John Pedro Iroakazi, while Mrs. U. G. Uche Ikonne, wife of late former People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship candidate in the last election, is the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice.
A release by Kazie Uko, Chief Press Secretary to the governor, said the decision followed the inauguration of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Recovery of Properties and Funds belonging to the state.
Otti consequently approved the appointment of Mrs. Joy Maduka, Director, Ministry of Education, as Acting Head of Service (HOS).
The release directed all Permanent Secretaries in the state, except Irokansi and Uche-Ikonne to hand over to the most senior Director in their respective ministries, departments and agencies. The statement said the directive takes immediate effect.
Meanwhile, a magistrate court in Umuahia has remanded Mr Tochi, a revenue contractor, in prison for allegedly disobeying the governor’s directive to terminate all revenue contracts in the state. Otti had immediately after his inauguration, cancelled all revenue contracts and ordered revenue contractors to surrender whatever government papers they had in their possession.
Tochi was said to have been arrested by the police and taken to Umuahia as he was alleged to be collecting money at the Osisioma head bridge, after the Governor’s order.
The prosecuting police officer, Augustine Udoh, from the state Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), Umuahia, told the court in the case No. U/286/2023, Commissioner of Police vs. Tochi Eiphraim and two others, that Tochi and his colleagues disobeyed Governor Otti’s order to terminate all revenue contracts in the state. When the charge was read against him, Tochi entered a not guilty plea and the presiding magistrate denied him bail, but instead adjourned the case to July 19, 2023.
