The Imo State Government and former governor Rochas Okorocha are blaming each other over the arrest of Uche Nwosu, former governorship candidate by the police.
Police operatives stormed Peter’s Anglican Church in Eziama Obieri, Nkwerre Local Government Area of the state on Sunday morning and shot sporadically before whisking Nwosu, who is a former governorship candidate of Action Alliance (AA) in the state, to the command headquarters in Owerri.
Senator Okorocha, who addressed journalists Sunday claimed that the governor deceived the Inspector- General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, into allowing the desecration of the church with the arrest of the ex-governorship candidate.
The state Commissioner for information and strategy, Declan Emelumba, who reacted to the ex-governor’s claim in a chat with journalists at the Government House in Owerri, urged Okorocha to allow the police operatives to do their job.
He also accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain of looting the state’s treasury.
The commissioner said neither the Imo West Senator nor his son-in-law was above the law.
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He argued that it was wrong for Okorocha to accuse Uzodinma of masterminding the arrest of his son-in-law, saying the government and the people of the state would not succumb to his blackmail.
Emelumba said: “Okorocha is raising a false alarm. He is panicking because he looted the wealth of the people of Imo State. This is a man who looted the commonwealth of the people of Imo State. Neither he nor his son-in-law is above the law.
“He should allow the police to do their job. Okorocha should know that police have the right to arrest anybody. This is a man who converted a university built with Imo people’s money to personnel use but this government has recovered it for Imo people.”
Okorocha’s accusation
Okorocha, on Sunday asked the state police command to release his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, or take him to court in the next 24 hours.
The ex-governor, who addressed journalists at his Spilbat mansion in Owerri, said police operatives who arrested the former governorship aspirant during a church service at St Peter’s Anglican Church, Eziama Obieri in the Nkwerre local government area of the state, embarassed his wife, and first daughter, Uloma, during the incident.
Okorocha, who is representing Imo West in the Senate, claimed that Governor Hope Uzodinma deceived the Inspector- General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, into desecrating the church with the arrest of his son-in-law.
Okorocha said Uzodinma has not hidden his hatred for him and the members of his household, adding that the state government wanted to frame Nwosu because of its poor performance.
The ex-governor said: “Uche Nwosu, my wife and daughter were at the church for an outing service, when a group of men in police uniform started shooting while the sermon was ongoing.
“In the course of their activities, they pushed down my wife and tore my daughter’s clothes. No warrant of arrest. No invitation. We suspected kidnapping at first. Many people were injured while running. Uche Nwosu was dragged into a bus carrying Imo State Government number plate.
“They were identified as policemen from Imo State Government House by their colleagues attached to Uche for the burial of his mother. I got the CP who said that the IGP approved his arrest.
“The shock of such an arrest without warrant and humiliating members of my family is unfortunate. Most security operatives in Imo know nothing about the arrest. I don’t know what they framed up. The IGP could only do this on high-level misinformation from Hope Uzodinma.
“Uzodinma wants to frame me up by all means. Uzodinma has to answer for most of the activities going on. Uzodinma must mention the names of those who are responsible for insecurity in Imo State or he should be held responsible for all the killings in the state.”
