Ex-Delta Gov Okowa Seeks Passport Release Amid Corruption Probe

Former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has reportedly approached the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in an effort to retrieve his international passport. The document has been in the commission’s custody since his arrest in November 2024.

Sources familiar with the matter indicated that the former governor visited the EFCC’s Lagos office to request the travel document, citing the need to attend to medical issues abroad. It remains unclear whether the commission has granted the request, and an official spokesperson for the EFCC did not respond to inquiries regarding the status of the application.

The former governor is currently under investigation by the anti-graft agency regarding allegations of misappropriating N1.3 trillion in 13 percent derivation funds received by Delta State from the Federation Account between 2015 and 2023. Additionally, investigators are probing claims that Okowa failed to account for N40 billion allegedly used to purchase shares in a floating liquefied natural gas project and a commercial bank.

Okowa, who was granted bail following his initial arrest in Port Harcourt, has consistently denied any wrongdoing. In previous statements following his release, he dismissed the allegations as mathematically impossible, arguing that the state’s monthly revenue during his first three years in office was insufficient to support the scale of diversion alleged by the commission.

The investigation remains ongoing, marking a significant legal challenge for the former governor as the EFCC continues its probe into the state’s financial dealings during his administration.