The Nigerian Senate rose from its Wednesday session after
intervention in the reports making a round over the alleged abduction of
Chairman of Innoson Motors Group, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, by the operatives of
the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), reports ITRealms.
Consequently, ITRealms
reports that the Senate has directed its Committee on Anti-Corruption chaired
by Senator Chukwuka Utazi to investigate the matter.
Leading the intervention followed the Point of Order raised by
the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ike Ekweremadu, who condemned the arrest of
Chief Chukwuma in his home in Enugu at about 5am on Tuesday and then abducted
without any information on what his offence was.
Ekweremadu described the abduction of Chukwuma as deliberate
violation of his freedom as a free citizen as assured in the Nigerian
Constitution.
ITRealms reports that Chief Innocent Chukwuma was allegedly abducted
by EFCC over a transaction between him and a commercial bank, Guaranty Trust
Bank (GTB), just as some notable Nigerians from the South-East are calling for boycott
of GTBank over the harassment meted to chairman of Innoson by closing their
accounts with the banks.
Ekweremadu who confirmed speaking with Chief Innocent
Chukwuma told Senate that the industrialist is not indebted to the bank,
stressing that he has since repaid the loan from the bank and in fact, “its GTB
that is owing Chief Innocent Chukwuma after the bank over deducted up to the
sum of N500 million from his account.”
He pointed out that information available to him, showed
that problem started between Chief Chukwuma and his banker after he demanded
refund, emphasizing that whilst GTB wanted to repay on 7 per cent interest
rate, Chief Innocent Chukwuma insisted on same 22 per cent interest rate the
bank had charged him.
The transaction, he said, has since been a matter of
litigation at the Supreme Court and wondered why EFCC or any security agency
will allow itself to be used for a commercial transaction simply because it did
not favour a bank.
Chuks Egbune/GEE
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