ABUJA, Nigeria — Former Imo State Governor and Senator, Rochas Anayo Okorocha, has reportedly been arrested by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force in Abuja over allegations of criminal conspiracy, forgery and impersonation.
According to The Sun, Okorocha was arrested on Monday night, October 12, 2026, at the REIZ Continental Hotel in central Abuja.
The reported arrest followed an ongoing police investigation and the alleged failure of the former governor to honour invitations from the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The report said Okorocha was initially invited to appear before the police on September 2, 2026, but the appointment was rescheduled to September 8 at the request of his lawyers. He allegedly failed to honour the rescheduled invitation.
The police subsequently obtained a bench warrant for his arrest, according to the report.
Allegations against Okorocha
The allegations reportedly centre on criminal conspiracy, forgery and the use of false documents linked to a disputed All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary election result for Imo West Senatorial District.
A Senior Magistrate Court in Abuja was reported to have issued bench warrants for the arrest of Okorocha, former Senator Ifeanyi Araraume and two other individuals, Timothy Ama Chuks and Amen Okorocha, over the allegations.
The controversy followed a dispute over the APC senatorial primary held on May 18, 2026, ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reportedly disowned a document circulating in Okorocha’s name that purportedly declared him the winner of the primary. The commission maintained that the party’s official result recognised Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma as the winner and called on security agencies to investigate the disputed document.
Okorocha had previously denied arrest warrant
Before the reported arrest, Okorocha had challenged reports that a court issued a bench warrant against him, describing the claims as false and questioning the circumstances surrounding the purported order.
In a statement issued through his Chief Press Secretary and Special Adviser on Media, Sam Onwuemeodo, the former governor demanded that those circulating the report produce the alleged court order or retract the claims.
He also accused associates of the Imo State Government of promoting what he described as false information and threatened legal action if the claims were not substantiated.
As of the reports cited, there was no detailed public account of the circumstances of Monday night’s reported arrest or a response from the police addressing Okorocha’s earlier denial.
The allegations remain allegations and have not, by themselves, established his guilt.
