Okorocha's billion naira estate

The Royal Spring Palm Estate owned by Nkechi Okorocha, wife of Senator Owelle Rochas-Okorocha, is sprawled on several acres of land on Akachi Road, Owerri.

Its picturesque boulevards are well tarred, the lawns beautifully manicured and the air smells fresh. It's a different world, tucked away from the hustle and bustle that is daily Owerri life.

The estate boasts a luxury hotel, complete with an Olympic size swimming pool and the trappings of a five-star reservation.

The property is valued at billions of Naira.

The Royal Spring Palm Estate has been in the news all week after Okorocha, who governed the southeast state of Imo from 2011 to 2019, stormed the estate to unseal a property that has been sealed by the state government.

The Governor Hope Uzodinma-led Imo state government maintains that the estate is the subject of litigation, even though Okorocha doesn't think so.

Okorocha arrested for breaking into his wife's property seized by Imo Govt (TheNation) Pulse Nigeria

State government officials say there is some proof that the gleaming estate is the proceed of corrupt enrichment.

Okorocha denies that he used state resources to erect the estate in his wife's name.

"Everybody knows that I was not poor before I became governor. Talking about the estate, I was the one who begged my wife to come back home and invest in our state so that our people will have employment.

"Before I went to that estate on Sunday, I called the CP (Commissioner of Police) and the Director of DSS and they said they were not aware of the sealing of the estate, therefore, I went there to find those who sealed the estate without the approval of the police and the DSS and moreover, there was no court order. Uzodinma should not take my peaceful disposition for granted," Okorocha says.

There was a violent standoff at the estate on Sunday, February 21, 2021, with the police arresting Okorocha and his aides on the scene. They have since been granted bail.