The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has withheld the international passport of the former governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa.

Okowa was arrested by the anti-graft agency on November 4, 2024, over an alleged diversion of N1.3tn derivation fund.

The N1.3trn amounted to a 13 per cent derivation fund from the federation account between 2015 and 2023.

He was also accused of failing to render accounts of the funds as well as another N40bn he allegedly claimed he used to acquire shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas.

Okowa also allegedly bought shares of N40bn in one of the major banks in the country, representing eight per cent equity to float the offshore LNG.

According to sources in the commission, Okowa was at the EFCC office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State and was subsequently arrested by officials of the commission.

A source privy to the matter but not permitted to speak with journalists said Okowa had been released since last week Wednesday, after meeting his bail conditions.

The source said one of the conditions was to submit his travel documents with the agency, pending the conclusion of the matter.

?Okowa is no longer in our custody. He was released last Wednesday after meeting his bail conditions, which include depositing his travel documents with the commission, pending the conclusion of our investigations of the allegations against him.

?The sum allegedly is too huge to take risks. And what we have done is not out of place. This is to prevent anyone under investigation from jumping the bail he/she had been granted,? he said.

Several calls put through to the EFCC?s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, were not answered.

He was also yet to respond to the message sent to him on the matter as of the time of filing this report.

Speaking on his trial, Okowa described the allegation that he misappropriated N1.3tn oil derivation funds while in office as laughable and totally false.

Speaking when he received the national leadership of Urhobo Progress Union, led by its President General, Chief Ese Owe, on a solidarity visit at his residence in Asaba, on Tuesday, Okowa said he was not worried by the EFCC invitation.

The former governor, who was speaking publicly on the issue for the first time since his return from honouring the EFCC invitation, said he was confident that he would come out clean.

In a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Olisa Ifejika, the former governor disclosed that the petitioners were driven by mundane political considerations but asserted that he would continue to support Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to deliver on the mandate freely given to him by the Delta people.

?It was a petition written several months ago, but unfortunately, with the politics of our time, some people decided to ensure that Okowa must be invited by the EFCC.

?People are genuinely uncomfortable about Okowa and I was actually invited and I went there by myself and the first thing I saw was that they said I misappropriated N1.3tn. I said, do you know the kind of money you are talking about?

?To successfully take N1.3tn, it means you have to be taking between N16bn and N20bn every month into your pocket. I don?t even know if the President of this country will be able to do that, not to talk of the governor of Delta State.

?They have forgotten that the first in three years we came into office ? 2015, 2016 and 2017 ? the money that was coming into the state was not even enough to pay salaries at all.

?Some local governments like Ethiope East were owing as much as 15 months salaries and even in the state here, some people were getting half salaries.

?Delta State is the highest salary-paying state in this nation; our salaries grew to the level that salaries and pensions went up to over N11bn in a month.

?There are some states whose total staff strength is less than 18,000, but here in Delta, we have over 56,000 workers,? he said.

The former governor added, ?Workers always received their salaries promptly while we also embarked on all the projects that were done, and nobody thinks about it, especially the projects we did in the riverine areas. But, I know that the people are not happy with those who wrote the petition.?

He said, ?Personally, I am not against investigation because the EFCC has to do its job, and I know that I have done everything how it ought to be done.

?For every allegation, they will investigate, and when they have found the truth, they will stop, but for those who sent a wrong communication, it is rather unfortunate.

?I just pray for them because when you allow yourself to be used as a tool when evil starts to come, the impact will be so much, but I pray that God will forgive them.

?I know that by the special grace of God, we have done the things we ought to do to the best of our ability and by the special grace of God, Governor Oborevwori is beginning to do a lot.

?I believe that by next year, he will do a lot more. So, let me assure you that I will continue to support the UPU and the governor of the state as much as I can because I know that he has a lot to offer this state.?

He commended the UPU for its support to him over the years, saying, ?I thank the UPU and the Urhobos because they supported me a lot and they also believe in equity because I always got more votes from them than their sons who contested against me.?

Earlier, the President-General of UPU had said that their visit was to thank the former governor for supporting their son, Oborevwori, to emerge as governor of the state. (Text, excluding headline: The PUNCH)

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