Contrary to viral reports on Tuesday that the Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru, ordered the arrest of five commissioners over alleged contract breaches and delays in project completion, the State Government has said no such thing happened.
Many conventional media outlets had published news of the alleged arrests, citing Ilang Donatus, the chairman of the state’s executive council committee overseeing the completion of two housing projects, who had reportedly announced the arrests.
The media reports quoted Ilang as saying the governor had accused the commissioners of project sabotage.
But in a statement on Wednesday, Ilang denied the statements attributed to him, describing them as false and unfounded.
Noting that no commissioners had been arrested, Ilang urged the public to verify the claims with local police and security agencies.
According to him, those writing such fake news do so from their imagination.
He further clarified that while the governor had expressed displeasure over the project delays, there had been no arrests.
The committee, he explained, had only warned project officials of potential drastic actions in the event of further delays.
He also reaffirmed the governor’s commitment to providing housing for the displaced communities of Izzo and Amaze in Ishielu Local Government Area, as part of efforts to address the fallout from the Ezilo/Ezza Ezilo communal conflict.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Ebonyi State, Joshua Ukandu, also confirmed that no commissioner had been taken into custody.
