THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has released the Director-General, Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, who was detained over alleged fraud, The PUNCH has learnt.

This was as civil society organisation, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, called on the anti-graft agency to release Okechukwu or charge him to court.

The PUNCH had reported that Okechukwu was detained on January 29, 2022 over a case of conspiracy, abuse of office and misappropriation of public funds to the tune of N1.3bn.

He had visited the Abuja headquarters of the anti-graft agency to honour an invitation but he was subsequently detained.

However, when contacted on Saturday, EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, told our correspondent that Okechukwu had been released on bail. “He was released on Monday,” Uwujaren said, even as investigations continue.

Earlier, HURIWA, in a statement had asked the EFCC to be law-abiding and civil by immediately releasing Okechukwu.

The group’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko, had said this in a statement titled, ‘HURIWA Asks EFCC to release Chief Osita Okechukwu or charge him to court immediately’.

The statement read in part, “Detaining Osita Okechukwu arbitrarily and indefinitely violates Constitutional provision in Section 34 which gives him right to respect to her human dignity.”

The group had called on the EFCC to “release Okechukwu or produce him in the competent court of law to prosecute him legally because Nigeria is not a Banana Republic”.