The Ebonyi State Government has declared a former two-time member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Linus Okorie, wanted over an alleged inciteful Facebook publication.
The Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Uchenna Orji, and his counterpart in the Justice Ministry, Cletus Ofoke, stated this during a joint press briefing after an enlarged security council meeting in Abakaliki on Tuesday.
According to Orji and Ofoke, Okorie, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, who represented Onicah/Ohaozara/Ivo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives between 2011 and 2019, was declared wanted over what was considered an inciteful statement by Government David Umahi.
According to them, the statement by Okorie, serving at present as the Secretary of the PDP National Reconciliation and Strategy Committee, caused tension in some parts of the state, especially in Ikwo Local Government Area.
They said that the former lawmaker’s social media post contributed to the beheading of an Ebubeagu operative in the LGA two weeks ago.
According to them: “Council considered a report presented to it by security agencies on the beheading of an Ebubeagu official in the Ikwo Local Government Area, on 9th of January 2022.
“The Council noted the report on the issues and the revelation contained on that report, and therefore resolved to declare wanted, one Hon Linus Okorie for the publication of an inciting statement, some of which were posted on Facebook that was traced to be part of the inflammatory publications that really invited that very tension that led to the beheading of the Ebubeagu official.”
Reacting through a statement, Okorie Umahi was looking for high profile scapegoat to divert attention from the many lies of his administration.
He said: “My attention has been drawn to some online reports of an alleged media briefing by the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information, Uchenna Orji, after what appears to have been a state security council meeting; in which he was reported to have announced that the Security Council declared one Linus Okorie wanted; and impugning that I am the one so declared wanted.
“I wish to alert the world that this is another of the artful schemes of Governor Umahi to silence all opposition voices in Ebonyi State by criminalising its high profile leaders, use Ebubeagu to kill me on the excuse that I was evading arrest and also a veiled excuse to close down CitiHub Event Centre, which has long been the desire of the governor and his close aides and family members.
“It is also a ploy to distract attention from the carnage that Ebubeagu has been wrecking on the people of Ebonyi State as symbolized by the riots and killings in Akaeze in the past few days.
“Governor Umahi is simply looking for a high profile scapegoat to take attention away from the many lives being lost to Ebubeagu operatives across the state, and he has chosen me using his State Security Council.”