Obiano’s OCHA Brigade Boss, Chief Kenneth Okonkwo rejects N20 Million Bribe from Williams street Chairman to stop their Relocation to Ogbunike---says Agency just like EFCC

www.odogwublog.com reports exclusively that the Supreme Commandant/Managing Director of Governor Willie Obiano’s agency to inculcate morality, discipline and cleanliness in the society known as Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra (Ocha brigade), Chief Kenneth Okonkwo has turned down a N20 Million bribe offered him by the Chairman of traders of Williams, Venn and Nwokedi streets in Onitsha to stop their relocation to Ogbunike International market at Oyi local government area.

Chief Okonkwo was carrying out state Government’s directive to stop all forms of street trading in the state which came into effect since 2009 but these streets defied the order despite that a permanent site has been provided for them.

The traders at William, Venn and Nwokedi streets in Onitsha and the OCHA brigade command has been in war of words following the relocation of the market to Ogbunike in Oyi council Area.


While the traders are alleging that they were forcefully ejected from the market by the Obiano’s administration because they are from Imo state and supporting the All Progressive Congress (APC), the agency said it was a ploy to blackmail the government in Anambra state.

Speaking with reporters yesterday in Awka, the Managing Director of Ocha brigade, Chief Kenneth Okonkwo, said that the agency was like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in the state, adding that they were here to make sure everything was done accordingly.

He recalled that since 2009, the traders refused to move to their new site in Ogbunike, despite letters written to them by the state government on many occasions.
Instead, according to Okonkwo, they were using police to stop the movement until he moved to Abuja where the state government got approval from the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase to relocate them.

“There is law against street trading in Anambra state, we have finally moved them, what they want to achieve by linking APC is just to blackmail the Obiano administration”
“Obiano wants to improve the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state and anything that can stop that will be resisted by Ocha brigade”
“We will arrest anybody or group who extort money from innocent citizens of the state through taxes, the state Governor has done enough by chasing out kidnappers and armed robbers here and therefore, there is need to help in moving the state forward”
He maintained that the state government never generated any IGR from the market as a result of the factions that existed there, adding that only six persons were in control the market who he said, did not want the traders to relocate to Ogbunike.

However, Chief Luke Ezeanokwasa, who spoke on behalf of the traders last week, had accused the state government of using Ocha brigade to harass and intimidate traders in Onitsha and its environs.

Ezeanokwasa, who is the state chairman of Labour Party (LP), said the agency was doing it with impunity alleging that they were using force to extort money from the traders.

He further said that they expected Anambra government to use 75 billion naira left in the purse by ex Governor Peter Obi to work for Ndi Anambra, rather what the citizens were witnessing was outrageous taxes as IGR in the state.

Okonkwo however debunked the allegation of extorting money from the citizens by the agency, adding that anybody who does that should be arrested and prosecuted by the agency in the state.