The Imo State Police Command has denied reports that a radio station worker, Prof. Jachimike Adiele, was abducted on Saturday in Owerri, the state capital.
A statement by the police spokesperson, Micheal Abattam, said the don was arrested by officers of the command following a petition against him.
News had gone viral on social media that Adiele, who was anchoring a political program at the radio station, was abducted by gunmen.
But Abattam said the don was arrested for jumping bail.
The statement read, “The attention of the Imo State Police Command has been drawn to news making the round that today, Saturday, around 09.40am, one Prof. Jachimike Adiele, a staff of Boss FM Radio, was abducted by unknown persons. The news is false because he was never abducted. Rather, he was arrested by police operatives from Police Area Command, Owerri, lmo State.
“The facts are that sometime in March 2022, a lady reported a case of fraud against Prof. Jachimike Adiele at the Police Area Command, Owerri, alleging that the said professor collected the sum of N1.2m from her with a promise to give her a shop in Douglas Market. But after some months, she discovered that there was no shop and demanded her money, but could not get it, hence her report.
“On the strength of the complaint, Prof. Jachimike Adiele was invited. After his statement, the area commander released him on bail due to his status in the society and he promised refunding the money to the lady on April 1, but never did. Rather, he jumped bail. When all efforts made to reach him proved abortive, the surety was invited and he claimed not to know the whereabouts of the suspect and pleaded for time to trace him.
“Luck ran out on him today, June 11, around 9.40am, when the surety got information that he was in the studio presenting a programme and alerted the police. On arrival, the police were professional; they never went to the station. Rather, they waited until he concluded his programme and was heading home when he was arrested. He has since been released and on conclusion of investigation, he will be charged to court.”
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