Innoson boss flown to Lagos in shorts, released on bail, IPOB reacts 

Released on bail last night

•Senate wades in as Ohanaeze youths, IPOB, Igbo groups condemn arrest

•Say it’s meant to scuttle industrialisation of Igboland
•Workers protest intimidation, harassment of their chairman

By Clifford Ndujihe, Sunday Nwafor, Ugochukwu Alaribe, Dennis Agbo, Chimaobi Nwaiwu & Chinonso Alozie

ENUGU— ON a day waves of condemnation trailed his arrest, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, yesterday, flew Chairman of Innoson Group of Companies, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, to Lagos in shorts, according to one of his aides.

Chief Chukwuma, was however, released, last night. EFCC which confirmed the release said the Innoson boss was arrested for alleged tax fraud and forgery.

The agency flew him to Lagos wearing only shorts and a shirt through Air Peace flight that left Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, at 1:45pm.

Chukwuma was driven in a convoy from the EFCC Enugu office where he was detained after his forcible arrest at his Enugu residence, Tuesday.

A staff of Innoson Company said the businessman was neither allowed to take his bath nor change his wears since he was arrested by the EFCC on Tuesday morning.

Head, Corporate Communications of Innoson Group, Cornel Osigwe, in a statement in Enugu, yesterday, maintained that Chukwuma is not a criminal and was never invited by the EFCC before the arrest.

Osigwe denied that Chukwuma was being investigated by the Capital Market and Insurance Fraud Unit of the commission’s Lagos office and challenged the EFCC to prove its invitation to Chukwuma which he failed to honour that necessitated invasion of his residence.

He also said Chukwuma never jumped any administrative bail or made attempts at resisting arrest as claimed by the EFCC, adding that “Dr Chukwuma (OFR) is a law abiding citizen, a public figure and a well known industrialist of international repute. He couldn’t have been invited by the EFCC and he would ignore or refuse to honour the invitation.”

Osigwe further said: “Dr Chukwuma has never had any issues or query from the EFCC recently.

How the issue started — Innoson group

The last issue he had with EFCC was an invitation extended to him in 2012 based on a complaint against him by Guaranty Trust Bank, GTB, which he duly honoured.

“Upon completion of investigations, EFCC requested him through a letter to pay some money to GTB, saying the money was what Innoson owed GTB after it, EFCC, deducted excess charge of about N560 million, which GTB illegally and unlawfully took from their account.

‘’Innoson rejected the demand, maintaining that it was GTB that was owing him and that GTB is to pay interest on the excess and unlawful charges.

‘’This resulted in a stalemate between Innoson and EFCC. Consequently, Innoson commenced a lawsuit against GTB at Federal High Court in suit No: FHC/AWK/139/2012 at Federal High Court Awka division and, thereafter, got a judgement in its favour in the sum of N4.7 billion against GTB.

“As a consequence of the above, EFCC filed a charge against him at Lagos High Court. The charge was subsequently struck out after EFCC filed a notice of discontinuance.

‘’However, Dr Innocent Chukwuma and Innoson Nigeria Ltd appealed against the order striking out the case on the basis that it ought to be dismissed and not struck out.

‘’The appeal, no: CA/I/1330Cm/2017, till date, is still pending at the Court of Appeal, Lagos State. Since then, EFCC has never invited Dr Chukwuma again.

Challenge to EFCC

“We challenge EFCC to show proof and evidence of EFCC invitation extended to Dr Chukwuma, the various dates of the invitation and the letter of invitation extended to him.

‘’We further challenge EFCC to also show proof of how and when Dr Chukwuma jumped an administrative bail granted to him.

“EFCC also claimed that Dr Chukwuma is being investigated by the Capital Market and Insurance Fraud Unit of the commission’s Lagos office. We equally challenge EFCC to show proof of this investigation.

‘’On whose petition is this investigation being carried out and proof of any letter on this investigation ever written to Innoson from this unit, stating also the month and year.

“The commission’s being economical with the truth by stating that Dr Chukwuma mobilised six truckloads of thugs pretending to be staff of his company to his residence, where they manhandled EFCC operatives.

‘’The truth available at our disposal is that some factory workers on hearing that their boss was being arrested, mobilised themselves to his residence to protest what they said was an illegal arrest.

“However, the EFCC operatives together with the Police team, fired tear gas and dispersed them. We have pictures to back up our claim. At no point did these factory workers manhandle the armed EFCC and Police officials at his residence. This is pure falsehood aimed at tarnishing the reputation of Dr Innocent Chukwuma.

“EFCC as a law-abiding organisation and a strong advocate of rule of law as constantly shown and practised by its Head, led by Ibrahim Magu, should allow the court processes to reach their logical conclusion.

‘’Dr Chukwuma’s case against GTB is already at the Supreme Court. We have absolute faith in the Nigeria judiciary. They should be allowed to adjudicate over this matter without undue interference from any quarters, he said.”

Why we arrested him  — EFCC

We’ve released him, we arrested him for fraud, forgery – EFCC

Meanwhile, the EFCC, yesterday night, said it had released Chukwuma on bail. EFCC, in a statement by its Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Wilson Uwujaren, said it arrested the business man over matters bordering on N1.478 billion fraud and forgery.

The statement read in part: ‘’The business man who runs a local auto assembly plant was arrested on Tuesday December 19, 2017 at his Enugu residence, following his refusal to respond to invitations by the Commission, after initially being granted administrative bail by the Commission, while his surety could also not be found.

“Unfortunately the industrialist resisted arrest and stirred controversy by bringing six truck-loads of thugs to block the entrance to his Plot W1, Industrial Layout, Abakaliki Road, Emeni, Enugu, home.

This was after he initially misled the Police Command by informing them that his home had been invaded by armed robbers and kidnappers despite the fact that operatives of the Commission duly identified themselves to policemen guarding his home.

His unruly thugs encircled and manhandled operatives of the Commission who had gone to effect the arrest.

Consequently, a distress call was sent to the Commission’s Enugu Office for reinforcement.

In all of this, the Commission’s operatives acted with decorum and civility. No one was manhandled or assaulted by the EFCC team, and not a single shot was fired, despite the provocation.

Chief Chukwuma and his brother, Charles Chukwuma (who is still at large), are being investigated by the Insurance and Capital Market Fraud Section of the Commission’s office in Lagos over matters bordering on N1,478,366, 859.66 fraud and forgery.

The industrialist, among other infractions, allegedly used forged documents to secure tax waivers.’’

Senators, Igbo groups react

Dr Chukwuma’s arrest drew criticisms from senators and a host of Igbo groups, yesterday.

Igbo groups that condemned Chief Chukwuma’s arrest included the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB; Igbo Youth Movement, IYM; Eastern Consultative Assembly, ECA; Igbo Leaders of Thought, ILT; Ohanaeze Youth Council, OYC; and Igbo National Council, INC.

Indeed, Evangelist Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko, who is IYM founder, ECA secretary and ILT deputy secretary, described the arrest of the Innoson CEO as ‘’endless humiliation of a conquered people’’ noting that the commando style of the arrest was ‘’causing ripples all over Igboland.’’

He said: ‘’The alleged legal issues he has with a commercial bank is also said to be in court. The power-show displayed on Tuesday in Enugu by EFCC’s Ibrahim Magu is a loud statement to the Igbo Nation that we are perceived as slaves in Nigeria.

The total disregard for the ongoing court actions and a resort to military era abductions confirm to all, that Ndigbo remain endangered species in Nigeria.

“To arrest the greatest employer of labour in Igboland and a genius who has transformed the economic landscape of this clime, in the area of automobile manufacturing, in a humiliating manner at his residence in Enugu, ostensibly over issues with a bank, issues which lawyers are handling. This is a loud message to the people of Eastern Nigeria of our status in Nigeria.’’

IPOB

Also, the IPOB, in a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Comrade Emma Powerful, condemned what it described as ‘’ongoing harassment of notable Biafran businesmen especially those of Igbo extraction by the Nigerian Government and her security agencies.’’

It said not contented with ‘’the economic emasculation of the Biafran territories through decades of punitive policies, the few successful businessmen that made it against all odds like Chief Innocent Chukwuma, the owner of Innoson Motors is now being harassed and humiliated publicly by government agencies for three major reasons: the impotency of political leadership in the East, coupled with intellectual myopia of the governing class and ongoing policy of de-industrialisation of the East.

“Had Innoson sited his factory in Lagos or Kaduna, every possible line of credit would have been extended to him; and there would be politics of appeasement and sabotage of collective interest by Ohanaeze Ndigbo, PANDEF and similar interest groups.’

‘’Since the emergence of this Buhari regime, Biafrans of Igbo extraction have been lurching from one persecution to another. After Operation Python Dance which had the backing of Ohanaeze Ndigbo leadership and South East governors, the Buhari regime has turned it’s attention to the destruction of economic interests in the South East starting with Innoson Motors, in the hope of frustrating the first indigenous automobile company in West Africa because he opened his factory in Igboland,’’ it added.

Ohanaeze youths demand Chukwuma’s release

In its reaction, the Ohanaeze Youth Council, in a statement by Comrade Obinna Achionye and Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, Vice President and Secretary, demanded the immediate release of the business mogul and described his arrest as the height of impunity against the Igbo nation and another move to cripple the economic fortunes of Ndigbo.

The youths stated that they were worried over the clampdown on Chukwuma without proper invitation by the anti-corruption agency, warning that there will be massive protests by Igbo and other ethnic nationalities’ youth groups in Enugu, Abuja and Lagos, if the businessman was not released without further delay.

Workers protest

Meantime, hundreds of workers of Innoson Vehicle Manufacturing Company in Nnewi, protested the arrest and detention of their chairman by the EFCC.

The workers, who blocked the Uru Umudim Nnewi, Innoson Industrial Layout Nnewi, chanted anti-intimidation and harassment songs.

“Addressing newsmen, leader of the protesting Innoson workers, Mr. Okwudili Igwemma said: “Most industrialists and their businesses have gone down because of what they have gone through in the hand of some banks, most of them did not get back what they used as collaterals, like lands and buildings, to borrow money from banks, even when they had repaid the bank loans, this is not good for the image of Nigerian banks.”

He recalled that “Chief Chukwuma, last week, unveiled four brand new sets of vehicles, namely IVM G80, IVM G40, IVM 20 and IVM Granite, and while delivering his address, said the only way a manufacturing company like his can succeed in what it is doing to uplift the image of Nigeria is by government, corporate institution and the public, patronizing and supporting it.’’

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