EFCC reveals reason ex-PDP chairman was arrested

– The EFCC say Secondus received 23 luxury vehicles valued at N310 million from Jide Omokore

–  They add that Omokore’s company refused to remit money to the government

– He is also accused of distributing money and gifts to politicians

Prince Uche Secondus, a former acting chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party is still in EFCC custody.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has revealed why Uche Secondus, the former acting chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was arrested on Tuesday.

Sources at the anti-graft agency disclosed to Premium Times that Secondus was arrested for illegally receiving 23 luxury vehicles valued at N310 million from the controversial businessman, Jide Omokore.

It was also gathered that the vehicles included a Mercedes G63 and a Range Rover Autobiography.

The source said: “His (Mr. Secondus) name popped up while we were investigating Jide Omokore who lifted crude oil repeatedly through his Atlantic Energy but failed to remit the money to the government.”

Premium Times said government insiders had hinted that Omokore had been compelled ‎to release $14 million crude oil royalty his company (Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited) did not send to the federal treasury.

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“Mr Omokore distributed money and gifts to politicians and investigators are suspicious that actually those money and vehicles might have passed through him (Mr Secondus) to other politicians,” the source further claimed.

The controversial businessman was said to have signed a Strategic Alliance Agreement with the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, the upstream production subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, shortly after incorporating his company in 2010.

And by the agreement, Atlantic Energy took charge of providing funds, technical services, drills, and selling of crude from four oil blocks; ‎OML 26 FHN, OML 30 Shoreline, OML 34 Niger-Delta Oil and OML 42 Neconde.

After a while, the company was accused of lifting crude oil without remitting more than a fraction of its worth to the Nigerian government.

As a result of his links to Omokore, Secondus was arrested by the EFCC and is currently undergoing interrogation at the anti-graft agency’s headquarters.

Following its ex-chairman’s arrest, the PDP has accused the Nigerian government of plans to arrest some of its notable leaders.

A statement signed by the party’s national legal adviser, Victor Kwon, said the PDP is aware that the federal government has perfected plans to arrest the senator representing Akwa Ibom north west (Ikot Ekpene) senatorial district, Godswill Akpabio, the deputy Senate president, Ike Ekweremadu and other leaders of the party on ‘imaginary charges’.

Kwon said intelligence available to the party has shown that the government is using various agencies, especially the EFCC, with the aim of destroying the opposition party, the PDP.

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