After a 10-hour grilling, EFCC releases former Governor Ortom.

Samuel Ortom, a former governor of the state of Benue, has been freed by the anti-graft organization after spending more than 10 hours in the EFCC office in Makurdi.

Following an invitation from the office, the Governor arrived in the Zonal Office of the Commission on Tuesday morning about 10am.

According to what was learned, the committee invited the former governor to appear and respond to charges connected to his eight years of leadership as the state’s governor.

The former governor spent the entire day at the EFCC, and at around 7:55 p.m., he was observed being driven out of the office in an SUV with several friends and acquaintances who had been waiting for him patiently at a nearby hotel.

The former governor could not be reached for comment, but according to a statement issued by his media assistant, Mr. Terver Akase, just before his release on Tuesday evening, he was not detained by the anti-graft agency.

Contrary to allegations made in some media outlets, Samuel Ortom, the recently-resigned governor of Benue State, visited the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, today at the commission’s invitation, according to Akase’s statement.

“Chief Ortom was neither arrested nor detained at the EFCC Zonal Headquarters in Makurdi.

“The former Governor has repeatedly said that he is available to respond to inquiries by anti-graft agencies as he has nothing to hide regarding his stewardship of Benue State.”