Anthony Iwuoma
The police have released Uche Nwosu, son-in-law to former Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State.
Heavily armed police operatives had stormed St. Peter’s Anglican Church, Eziama-Obaire, Nkwerre Local Government Area of Imo State and arrested Nwosu during his late mother’s memorial thanksgiving service.
Nwosu’s media aide, Nwadike Chikezie, confirmed the release of his principal in a statement.
The statement read: “I have spoken with him and he extended his greetings to all of us out there. While we await police report on why the abduction and arrest, we call on everyone to remain calm and focused because God is in charge of the whole situation.
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“The act of desecrating the House of God we all know a direct affront and challenge to God Almighty. We leave God to do his fight because vengeance is of God but to all Christians, does it now mean that the government has no more respect for God, and does it now mean that the house of God is no more a place one can take refuge? God prove your answers.”
Nwosu’s seeming gestapo-like arrest on the premises of a church had pitched the state government against Sen. Okorocha, who currently represents Imo West in the Senate.
While Sen. Okorocha accused the police of kidnapping and assault, the statement government told him to stop raising false alarm.
Apart from abducting his son-in-law, Sen. Okorocha alleged that the police also assaulted his wife and daughter, adding that the family had mistaken the policemen as gunmen out to kill Nwosu.
He said, “There was no single arrest warrant on Uche Nwosu; nothing at all. It was like a kidnap… if not for the fact that we have confirmed that it was the police; the initial fear was that these were gunmen that have come to kill Uche Nwosu.”
The angry senator fumed: “Even the security (operatives) attached to my family could not (do anything) because they identified the policemen. Why go to the church? Why the shooting? Why do you have to drag the innocent boy on the floor? Why do you have to beat him up? Why do you have to push my wife? Why do you have to push my daughter?”
Reacting to Okorocha’s allegations the Imo State government on Sunday asked a former governor of the state, Rochas Okorocha, to stop making “false claims” over the arrest of his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu.
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The state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Declan Emelumba, briefed journalists at the Government House in Owerri, the state capital, saying neither Okorocha nor his son-in-law was “above the law.”
He said that Okorocha was panicking because he has a guilty conscience and was afraid that the law might catch up with him and advised the ex-governor to allow the police to “do their job”.
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.”