The Port Harcourt zonal command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has granted administrative bail to Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, the former governor of Delta State, amid allegations of diverting N1.3 trillion from the 13% derivation fund between 2015 and 2023. Okowa was arrested on November 4, 2024, after responding to an EFCC invitation in Port Harcourt, and he was released around 9 PM on Wednesday night.
Sources indicate that Okowa is expected to return to the agency to provide further documentation and answer additional questions before the case proceeds to court. He faces allegations of failing to account for the 13% derivation funds and misappropriating N40 billion claimed to have been used for acquiring shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas, among other financial misconducts.
In contrast, former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello remains on the run, with the EFCC intensifying efforts to bring him to justice for allegedly looting billions from Kogi State. His government house Director General, Umar Oricha, is currently in custody and has been denied bail.
