Dr. Chukwuemeka Chigozie Linus, Government contractor and businessman from Lagos, has been freed after being detained by police in Anambra State over a purported disagreement over an N4 billion contract award.
According to family sources, Dr. Linus was released by the police on Tuesday. However, by Wednesday he remained in critical condition.
“He was released by police authorities after family members signed a bond as bail,” a family source told SaharaReporters on Wednesday.
It was also gathered that there were attempts by the police to admit him to a hospital facility linked to the Anambra State Police Command, but doctors reportedly rejected him due to his fragile health condition.
“He was rejected by the hospital the police took him to due to his condition and even as of now he cannot talk and we are praying for his recovery,” a family source told SaharaReporters.
However, the exact charges against Linus remained unclear as of the time of filing this report.
Earlier, sources familiar with the matter told SaharaReporters that the disputed contract was awarded during an administration associated with the Anambra State Secretary to the Government, Chiamaka Helen Nnake.
According to the sources, Linus was allegedly pressured by certain influential officials to surrender 15 percent of the contract sum before the project could proceed.
The sources further alleged that Linus rejected the demand, insisting that the contract should be executed transparently.
His refusal was said to have sparked tensions with some officials, ultimately leading to what sources described as retaliatory actions against him, including his reported arrest by police operatives in the state.
The businessman reportedly became the focus of what sources described as a coordinated operation involving state actors and banking officials, during which funds were allegedly withdrawn from his company accounts even as police investigators were still examining the disputed transactions.
Sources further alleged that despite being ill and undergoing medical treatment, Linus was arrested from his hospital bed by police operatives and subsequently taken to Anambra State.
“He insisted that the money tied to the contract should be accounted for and refused to compromise the process, despite mounting pressure,” one source familiar with the matter said.
Associates of the contractor claimed the arrest was aimed at silencing, intimidating, and financially crippling him following his alleged refusal to comply with corrupt demands linked to the contract.
Commenting on the development, the Secretary to the Anambra State Government, Nnake, stated that although the project was not directly linked to her, it was coordinated through her office to ensure its successful execution.
“The project is not connected to me; it is a government project. My involvement is that I coordinated the project delivery,” she said.
When questioned over allegations surrounding the alleged forceful arrest of Linus and claims that officials demanded kickbacks amounting to 15 percent of the N4 billion contract value, she denied having any knowledge of the developments.
“I am not aware of these details,” she told SaharaReporters.
When contacted by SaharaReporters, the spokesperson for the Anambra State Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, also denied having knowledge of the alleged arrest.
“I don’t have any information on this,” he said.
Public procurement in Nigeria has long been plagued by allegations of corruption, favouritism, and opaque practices.
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