* Ochendo Not arrested, says Abia Information Commissioner,  JOK

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC says it went after former Abia statw Governor,  Senator Theodore Orji    because he refused to abide by the bail conditions, source from the anti-corruption body confirmed Thursday night

Sen Orji was picked up at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja Thursday, and whisked to EFCC's office

However in swift reaction to the story which is trending on the social media, the Abia State Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu via his WhatsApp said the former was not arrested by the EFCC, but merely stopped from travelling out of the Country

The source explained that Orji refused to return his international passport, which was given to him to use purely on humanitarian grounds to enable him to travel to Dubai for medical attention last year

It also added that the former governor also declined to visit the Commission for further questioning over alleged abuse of office upon return from the Arab country, an infraction which  forced the anti-graft agency to put him on its watch list.

According to the source: “He has been under investigation over alleged misappropriation of state funds worth N55 billion during his tenure as governor of his state,” 

“Our operatives are looking at the allegation that Orji received as much as N500 million as security vote monthly while he was governor for eight years as well as  probing the claim that he might have gone away with N55 billion of state funds.

“The former governor is the architect of his own misfortune because he came to us and pleaded for the return of his international passport to enable him to travel for medical attention in Dubai.

“But almost one year after he returned from the medical trip, he kept away  and pretended as if all was okay.

“He was picked up by our men at the NAIA Abuja and we have to treat him as someone who has been on our watch list for some time now,” the official explained.

The spokesman for the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren while confirming the arrest of the Senator  did not give details.

The former was reportedly released late Thursday night.