The 27-member Imo State House of Assembly, presided over by the Speaker, Kennedy Ibeh, has passed a bill for a law to establish ‘Imo State Complaints, Financial Crimes and Anti-Corruption Commission and Other Related Matters.’

The legislators also passed the bill approving N65 billion supplementary budget to enable the governor tackle insecurity in the state.

According to a statement issued yesterday by the Chief Press Secretary to the Imo Speaker, Ifeanyi Onyekachi, the bill was sponsored by the Majority Leader, Kanayo Onyemaechi (Owerri West Constituency), adding that the move was to tackle corruption and related issues in the state.

Three other bills sponsored by Onyemaechi and co-sponsored by other legislators, include: “A bill for a law to amend the ‘Imo State Lands, Administration and Geographic Information Services Establishment Law No 3 of 2021’; a bill for a law to supplement the ‘2022 Budget of Imo state and a bill for a law to establish the ‘Imo State Data Centre and Other Related Matters.’

Onyemaechi explained that the anti-graft bill, if assented to by the governor, would fight corruption frontally in the state, as well as check all forms of misappropriation of funds from the state government coffers.

Onyemaechi further added that the law would empower the commission to investigate all petitions against persons for corrupt practices, as well as arrest and prosecute them, according to laid down procedure.