A former Deputy Governor of Imo State, Gerald Irona, has been released from Owerri Correctional Centre, seven days after he was remanded at the facility.
Mr Irona was, on 9 March, remanded after he was arraigned before a magistrate by the police in the state for alleged treason, Pecohub learnt.
He was released on Thursday.
Walter Duru, a special adviser on media to Mr Irona, confirmed the development to reporters in Owerri on Friday, Vanguard newspaper reported.
Mr Duru said a Federal High Court in Abuja ordered Mr Irona’s release.
“He is a free man now. I can confirm that to you now,” he said.
Mr Irona was charged to court by the police in the state on a three-count charge of alleged treason.
The three-count charge read: “That you Hon Gerald Irona sometime in January 2020, at Owerri in the Owerri Magistrate District, did conspire with others now at large, to commit felony to wit: treason and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 37(2) of the Criminal Code, cap c 38, Law of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as applicable in Imo State.
“That you Hon Gerald Irona sometime in January 2020, at Owerri in the Owerri Magistrate District, did make several utterances to the effect that you will make Imo State ungovernable and immediately afterwards hoodlums levied several attacks on Imo State with intent to intimidate or overawe the governor of Imo State and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 37 of the Criminal Code, cap, c 38, Law of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as applicable in Imo State.
“That you Hon Gerald Irona on the 15th day of January 2020, at Owerri in the Owerri Magistrate District, do convert to your own use two land cruiser jeep (V8 and V6) and one Toyota Hilux vehicle valued N493 million property of Imo State Government thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 390 (9) of the Criminal Code, cap c 38, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, as applicable in Imo State.”
Background
Mr Irona served as the deputy governor under Governor Emeka Ihedioha from May 2019 and January 2020, when the Supreme Court nullified their election and declared Hope Uzodinma as the governor of the state.
The former deputy governor was arrested by the police on 8 February at his Owerri Residence.
He was arraigned on a three-count charge before C.N Ezerioha, a magistrate, on Thursday after which he was remanded in prison.
On Tuesday, he went to a State High Court in Imo to apply for bail.
Counsel to the former deputy governor, S.I. Imo, prayed to the court to grant his client bail.
But counsel to the police opposed the bail application, arguing that it would be unlawful for the judge to entertain the application when a counter-bail application had not been filed by the prosecutors.
After hearing from the counsel, the judge declined to grant Mr Irona bail.
The judge subsequently adjourned the case till 22 March to enable the prosecutors to file their counter-bail affidavit.
Meanwhile, the police had, in a letter addressed to the chairperson of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State, Charles Ugwu, invited Mr Irona over alleged murder, kidnapping and arson cases.
Also invited were the former governor of the state, Mr Ihedioha, and the spokesperson of the Coalition of United Political Parties, Ikenga Ugochinyere.
In the letter, dated 13 March, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Ahmed Barde, asked Mr Ugwu to produce the three persons at the State Criminal Bureau last Thursday by 10 a.m.
The trio are chieftains of the PDP.
It is not clear, for now, if the meeting has taken place or not.
Governor Uzodinma of Imo State has repeatedly accused members of the opposition political parties, mainly the PDP, of being behind the worsening insecurity in the state.
The governor had, in December, threatened to name the alleged sponsors of the insecurity in the state, but would later make a U-turn, two weeks after, saying he would rather leave security agencies “to do their work” and prosecute those found culpable.