Hon. Rita Odichi Orijifor, who represented the Ajeromi Ifelodun Federal Constituency between 2015 and 2019, has been arrested by the Nigerian Police over allegations of using a fake WAEC certificate during her tenure in the House of Representatives.
According to sources, Orijifor was apprehended on Sunday at her residence in Wonderland Estate, Abuja, after police officers had waited for over five hours for her to come out. She reportedly locked herself in her bedroom and made calls to influential political figures in a bid to avoid arrest.
However, none of the figures offered assistance in this high-profile scandal, and despite some attempts to intervene with the police, Orijifor eventually emerged from her hiding place and was taken into custody.
Before her arrest, Orijifor had reportedly been hiding in Akure to evade law enforcement, only returning to Abuja after believing the situation had cooled. However, unknown to her, the police were already on her trail.
Her legal troubles began when a judge in the Federal Capital Territory dismissed her application to stop the ongoing police investigation.
The judge ruled that Orijifor failed to demonstrate that her rights had been violated by the authorities.
Orijifor is currently being detained at the Force Headquarters in Abuja as investigations continue. The case is expected to be a significant development in Nigerian politics, given her previous role as a federal lawmaker.
