Gerald Irona, who served as Imo State’s deputy governor in the recent past, has been released from Owerri Prison after nine days of detention.
Fidel Info reports that In a brief statement on Friday, Irona’s spokesman, Walter Duru, stated that an Abuja Federal High Court had ordered the former state’s second-ranking citizen to be released on bail.
He stated that since then, the Owerri Correctional Center administration had cooperated with the court ruling.
Duru wrote, “Former Deputy Governor of Imo State, Gerald Irona, is free. His release was ordered by a Federal High Court in the FCT, Abuja and the Nigerian Correctional Service has long complied.”
“I will issue a statement later today. Good morning and many thanks for your support. Imo must be rebuilt.”
Irona was on Thursday last week remanded in Owerri correctional centre after he was arraigned by the police on a three-count charge bordering on treason.
The charges preferred against him by the police read: “That you Hon Gerald Irona sometime in January 2020, at Owerri in the Owerri Magistrate District, did conspired 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 converted to your own use two land cruiser jeep (V8 and V6) and one Toyota Hilux vehicle valued four hundred and ninety three million naira 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.”